Bananas are widely known for being one of the most potassium rich foods in the world, and they also happen to be the most popular fruit in the United States.
A 2019 study found that bananas are eaten by approximately 59% of people in the United States, seven percentage points more than apples and eleven points more than strawberries.
But are you eating enough bananas to get the full range of benefits?
According to a study out of South America, this filling, delicious and relatively inexpensive food could help dramatically cut your risk for the second deadliest form of cancer in the United States.
Study: Three Bananas Per Week May Cut Colon Cancer Risk
The study, which was undertaken in South America and published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer, found that eating bananas may cut colon cancer risk by up to 72%.
Researchers from the National Institute of Oncology in Montevideo, Uruguay came to that conclusion after studying those eating at least three servings of the fruit per week, according to the natural health website Eden Prescription, which reported on the study this week.
“Dietary patterns were assessed in detail by use of a food frequency questionnaire on 61 food items, which allowed the calculation of total energy intake,” Eden Prescription wrote.
“After adjustment for potential cofounders (which included body mass index, total energy, and total alcohol intake), a reduction in risk for total vegetable intake, total fruit intake, and lettuce, apple, and banana consumption was observed. The strongest protection was observed for banana intake.”
Bananas help to raise melatonin levels in the body, and research has shown that colon cancer patients have consistently lower melatonin levels than healthy people, the page continued.
Additional Health Benefits of Bananas
Bananas are beneficial in plenty of other ways, and may even offer protection against leukemia, according to Medical News Today, as they may help prevent leukemia cells from growing.
Other potential benefits of bananas include:
-Help for managing blood pressure as well as reducing the overall strain on a person’s cardiovascular system
-Minerals and antioxidants for a healthy heart: fiber, potassium, folate, and antioxidants including some Vitamin C
-The ability to preserve memory, boost a person’s ability to learn and remember things, and to regulate mood because of the a key amino acid found in bananas, tryptophan
-A blood sugar lowering effect, despite the natural sugars in the fruit; the fiber found in bananas may have a net effect of lowering blood sugar for diabetics or prediabetics
-Support for children with asthma, as eating bananas may prevent wheezing.