Bananas as Brain Food

With just 121 calories, less than half a gram of fat, no cholesterol, and 3.5 grams of fiber, a large banana is a smart choice for anyone trying to follow a nutritious diet without gaining weight. A wide array of research suggests that eating bananas may make you seem smarter, as some of the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids in bananas play a role in keeping your brain functioning at its optimal level.

Vitamin B6 and Cognitive Function

Getting an adequate amount of vitamin B6 may help improve your cognitive function. A large banana provides about .5 milligrams of the 1.1-to-1.7 milligrams of vitamin B6 the Institute of Medicine recommends you get each day. In a 1996 study published in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,” researchers from Boston’s Tufts University gave a series of cognitive tests to 70 men, aged 54 to 81. They found that the men with higher concentrations of vitamin B6 performed better on two measures of memory than those with lower levels.

Magnesium

When your body metabolizes protein, it produces ammonia, according to the Franklin Institute. Magnesium activates an enzyme that converts ammonia to urea so your body can dispose of it. Even a small amount of brain ammonia can hinder your ability to focus and pay attention, so eating magnesium-rich foods are beneficial for improving your brain function. A large banana gives you 37 milligrams of magnesium, a mineral that helps facilitate the electrical activity between the nerve cells in your brain. The Institute of Medicine recommends adults get 265-to-350 milligrams of magnesium per day.

Mood Regulation

A large banana gives you 12 milligrams each of tryptophan and tyrosine, amino acids your body uses to make neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, which help regulate your mood, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Getting an adequate amount of these amino acids may help you stay calm and focused while lessening feelings of anxiety and stress. The Institute of Medicine recommends adults get 47 milligrams of tyrosine and 7 milligrams of tryptophan per day.

Fructose Energy

The cells in your brain use glucose as fuel. Your brain cannot store it, so you must continually supply glucose to your brain through the food you eat. When you eat refined sugars, such as sweet cereals, candy, and pastries, your body quickly depletes the carbohydrate content, especially from the sucrose, leaving you feeling sluggish and hungry again hours later. The fiber in a banana slows the breakdown and release of its sugars, mainly from fructose, into your bloodstream, according to the Franklin Institute. Because your body uses fruit sugar more gradually than refined sugar, a banana is a good way to get a steady stream of brain fuel.

Sources:

  1. Institute of Medicine: Daily Reference Intakes
  2. Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes – Macronutrients

Important Notice: This article was originally published at https://healthyeating.sfgate.com by  Maia Appleby where all credits are due.

Disclaimer

The watching, interacting, and participation of any kind with anything on this page does not constitute or initiate a doctor-patient relationship with Dr. Farrah®. None of the statements here have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The products of Dr. Farrah® are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information being provided should only be considered for education and entertainment purposes only. If you feel that anything you see or hear may be of value to you on this page or on any other medium of any kind associated with, showing, or quoting anything relating to Dr. Farrah® in any way at any time, you are encouraged to and agree to consult with a licensed healthcare professional in your area to discuss it. If you feel that you’re having a healthcare emergency, seek medical attention immediately. The views expressed here are simply either the views and opinions of Dr. Farrah® or others appearing and are protected under the first amendment.

Dr. Farrah® is a highly experienced Licensed Medical Doctor certified in evidence-based clinical nutrition, not some enthusiast, formulator, or medium promoting the wild and unrestrained use of nutrition products for health issues without clinical experience and scientific evidence of therapeutic benefit. Dr. Farrah® has personally and keenly studied everything she recommends, and more importantly, she’s closely observed the reactions and results in a clinical setting countless times over the course of her career involving the treatment of over 150,000 patients.

Dr. Farrah® promotes evidence-based natural approaches to health, which means integrating her individual scientific and clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research. By individual clinical expertise, I refer to the proficiency and judgment that individual clinicians acquire through clinical experience and clinical practice.

Dr. Farrah® does not make any representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of any multimedia content provided. Dr. Farrah® does not warrant the performance, effectiveness, or applicability of any sites listed, linked, or referenced to, in, or by any multimedia content.

To be clear, the multimedia content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen in any website, video, image, or media of any kind. Dr. Farrah® hereby disclaims any and all liability to any party for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental, or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of the content, which is provided as is, and without warranties.