Do Bananas Affect Cholesterol Levels?

Researchers are always looking for foods that can help people control their cholesterol. Your cholesterol levels will thank you if you like bananas. Bananas are a delicious and easy way to get some essential nutrients. Since the beginning of time, people have grown this tropical fruit.

For more than a century, its health advantages have been celebrated worldwide. In addition to sucrose, fructose, and glucose, bananas contain a significant amount of fibre, nutrients, and minerals. It lowers cholesterol and blood pressure due to its high potassium and fibre content.

Bananas, like all fruits, are rich in fibre, particularly soluble fibre. Plant foods contain more soluble fibre than insoluble fibre. Beans, bananas, oats, barley, apples, and pears are the best soluble fibre sources.

Studies have shown that increasing fiber content by including fruits such as banana can strengthen immune system.

Understanding Your Cholesterol Levels

The American Heart Association advises keeping total cholesterol levels in the blood at around 200 milligrams per deciliter. Blood cholesterol levels between 200 and 239 mg/dL are “borderline high.”

In contrast, blood cholesterol levels over 240 mg/dL are considered “high.” If you have high cholesterol levels, your risk of developing heart disease is higher.

Cholesterol is essential in small amounts to make hormones, bile and Vitamin D. The liver makes all the cholesterol that our body needs and hence an excess intake of dietary cholesterol is not recommended

Foods high in saturated fat, primarily animal fats, raise one kind of cholesterol—low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol. However, when this LDL reaches an excessive level in the bloodstream, it begins to build up plaque on the artery walls. This plaque slows down the blood flow, significantly increasing your risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, and heart attack.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the majority of the cholesterol in your body is LDL cholesterol. The ideal LDL cholesterol level is below 100 mg/dL, even if an LDL level between 100 and 129 mg/dL is typically considered optimal for most people.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is a healthy type of cholesterol because it assists in the removal of cholesterol from the body. Normally, a healthier HDL cholesterol level, which should be at least 60 mg/dL, aids in preventing heart disease.

Remember that getting a blood test is the most reliable way to determine cholesterol levels. While making heart-healthy lifestyle changes can help reduce the problem, some people may also need statins to prevent future issues.

Bananas for Cholesterol – The Connection

Bananas are one of the healthiest, most easily available and inexpensive fruits. In addition, bananas contain many essential nutrients that may aid in weight loss, digestion, and balancing cholesterol to improve heart health.

Nutritional Facts about Raw Bananas

The USDA provides the following nutritional value for one hundred grams of bananas.

• Calories: 89 kcal

• Total Fat: 0.33g

• Protein: 1.09g

• Carbohydrate: 22.8 g

• Fibre: 2.6 g

• Sugar: 12.2 g

• potassium: 358 mg

• Vitamin C: 8.6 mg

• Calcium: 12 mg

• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Bananas do not contain cholesterol; they contain fibre, and vitamins. Raw bananas have more fiber than ripe ones.

Fiber helps reduce inflammation, blood pressure and manage cholesterol levels. Fibre-rich foods typically give you a filling meal without adding calories. They are also a good option if you want to lose some weight because of this.

These soluble fibres keep some cholesterol from being absorbed into the bloodstream from the intestines. The National Lipid Association (NLA) claims that consuming 5-10 grams of soluble fibre daily can cut total and “bad cholesterol” by 5-11 points.

However, the body cannot break down soluble fibre, and it becomes viscous when it comes into contact with fluids. Therefore, this gel-like substance can remove cholesterol from the body.

Green bananas are abundant in resistant starch which lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

As per AHA data, low cholesterol level is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Because of this, if one eats bananas in moderation, it may improve cardiovascular health.

Below is the recommendation for dietary fibre.

According to UCSF Health,

• it would be best if you aimed to consume 25-30 g dietary fiber a day

• 6 to 8 grams per day must be from soluble fibre

Banana is one snack that can “significantly” improve blood glucose and lipid profile in hypercholesterolemic patients. It was proven from research on thirty people with high cholesterol and fifteen with type 2 diabetes.

After that, these volunteers followed a banana diet for twelve weeks. For breakfast, they ate 250 or 500 grams of bananas. According to the findings of this pilot study, consuming 250 grams of banana per day is safe for both diabetic and hypercholesterolemic volunteers but only marginally beneficial for the latter.

Summary

One way to improve cholesterol levels is to eat a banana every day, along with other fiber rich fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains. Risk factors for high cholesterol include obesity, inactivity, smoking, and a diet high in red meat and processed foods. Improve your cholesterol levels by eating healthier, losing weight, exercising more, and stopping smoking.