Do you find bananas with a lot of dark spots gross and so you throw them away without hesitation? Well, it’s time for you to put that habit to an end, say Japanese experts. That’s because according to a study, bananas sporting lots of dark spots can help considerably reduce your risk of deadly cancer.
There are a bunch of reasons why most fruits on the planet are preferably eaten ripe. First, it’s when they are ripe when the amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants they offer are peaking. Second, ripe fruits contain enzymes necessary for them to be digested properly.
Have you tried eating a fruit that is not fully ripe and you ended up with a tummy ache? That’s a clear sign that the unripe fruit did not contain digestive enzymes vital for its proper breakdown!
Unripe bananas are kind of hard and tough, and it is definitely a great idea for you to stick to bananas that are already ripe. Based on a study conducted in Japan, it is actually a much better idea for you to opt for bananas with plenty of dark spots, which clearly signifies that those elongated yellow tropical fruits are really, really ripe.
Fret not because that is excellent news! According to Japanese experts, overripe bananas pack impressive amounts of the so-called tumor necrosis factor or TNF. Based on the name alone, it’s clear that TNF is beneficial — it destroys malignant or cancerous tumors before they have the chance to grow and multiply uncontrollably, endangering your health.
TNF is actually a type of protein. Without going too technical, TNF helps direct certain cells of the immune system towards inflammation or any other unusual occurrence in the body, including cancerous tumors.
Japanese experts compare the phenomenal cancer-fighting ability of TNF to lentinan, a substance which is obtained from shiitake mushrooms. Lentinan, which is administered intravenously, is used in hospitals to fight off cancer. That’s because lentinan is a so-called immunostimulant — it encourages the proliferation of white blood cells to assist the body of someone with cancer to have the deadly disease eliminated.
The consumption of up to a couple of black-spotted bananas per day is said to work wonders! Doing so allows you to obtain good amounts of TNF, thereby considerably lowering your chances of ending up with cancer. Experts say that cancer is usually easily treatable during its early stages. But who needs to undergo treatment if you can keep cancer from striking in the first place through something as simple as eating bananas with many dark spots on them?
If you want to ensure that you are getting loads of that cancer-fighting TNF, it is a good idea to enjoy your bananas just before they turn completely black, say Japanese experts!
However, it’s not just TNF that you can obtain from consuming bananas with a lot of black spots rather than throwing them straight into the trash can. Since the presence of those black spots signifies that bananas are really, really ripe — hence they pack the most vitamins, minerals and antioxidants — all the other well-established health benefits of bananas are multiplied! Some of them include:
- Reduced blood pressure. Thanks to the impressive amounts of potassium in bananas, high blood pressure can be lowered naturally.
- Lifted mood. Bananas contain tryptophan, a type of amino acid that helps boost serotonin levels in the brain. This is the reason why consuming bananas can help ward off depression.
- Increased energy. Since bananas contain good carbs and loads of B vitamins, their consumption can help boost your energy, allowing you to be productive.
- Stronger and healthier bones. One of the many nutrients found in bananas is manganese. Together with calcium, manganese helps make your bones strong and healthy.
Sources: rd.com
