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9. Bananas are rich in vitamin B6
While vitamin B6 doesn’t see the spotlight all that often, it’s an essential vitamin for a reason. Bananas contain nearly one-third of your daily value of vitamin B6, which is important for brain development during pregnancy and enzyme reactions involved in metabolism. Most Americans don’t seem to fall short on their intake, but it doesn’t hurt to eat foods that are naturally rich in the nutrient.
10. Bananas might keep your appetite in check
No one food will take away the hanger after skipping a meal. However, eating a banana as part of a well-balanced diet may help curb your cravings. Bananas contain a type of fiber called resistant starch, which seems to help people eat fewer calories and manage their appetite, studies show. While more research needs to be done to understand the link, one medium banana only packs about 100 calories and is super satisfying due to its fiber content, so you need to feel guilty about adding one to your breakfast smoothie, peanut butter sandwich, or post-dinner yogurt parfait.
11. Clear vessels
Cholesterol is the main cause of vascular obstruction, which leads to atherosclerosis. Bananas contain phytosterols that help reduce the levels of cholesterol in your blood and maintain your vascular system’s health.
12. Help with diabetes
These tropical fruits have a certain type of resistant starch within them that helps improve the condition of a person with diabetes mellitus type 2. It should be noted, though, that green bananas contain more of this substance. A green banana of average size has 12.5 grams of starch in it, while a ripe one will only contain about 5 g.
13. Bananas keep your kidneys healthy
A banana a day may keep the doctor away. In a study of 61,000 Swedish women, researchers found that people who ate lots of fruits and vegetables more than 75 servings per month, or roughly 3 servings total per day-had the lowest risk of developing renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer.
When researchers looked at fruits specifically, bananas seemed to have the most pronounced effect due to their high concentration of phenolics, compounds with antioxidant effects.
Another large study of more than 90,000 women also found that women who consumed more than 4,099 milligrams of potassium daily had a 35 percent lower risk of kidney stones than women who downed less than 2,407 mg. That’s because potassium can also help your body get rid of excess calcium, a building block of the most common type of kidney stone.
14. Bananas are good for your heart
Put another point in the potassium column, because this important mineral is vital for your heart. Research shows that eating lots of potassium is associated with significantly lower blood pressure levels and a decreased risk of stroke. That’s because potassium helps flush excess heart-stressing sodium from your body through your urine, reducing the potential damage it may have on your ticker.
