Eating bananas can aid weight loss in more ways than one. While their prebiotic fiber helps curb appetite, bananas also have another weight-loss component, aptly called “resistant starch.” This indigestible fiber ferments in your large intestine, creating by-products (butyrates) that block conversion of some carbohydrates into fuel, forcing the body to burn fat stores instead, as interpreted in preliminary research.
A University of Colorado study found that an increase in the amount of resistant starch contained in a meal “significantly increased post-prandial lipid oxidation and therefore could decrease fat accumulation in the long-term.” Replacing 5.4% of ordinary carbs with resistant starch could boost fat metabolism by up to 30%.
Resistant starch is also found in whole grains, beans, and cooked-then-cooled potatoes and pasta. But bananas, in addition to providng a low-calorie source of resistant starch, are also an excellent source of vitamin B6 and a good source of potassium, fiber and vitamin C, all nutrients that help support heart health.
Published April 1, 2008
