Bananas: A Possible Key to Preventing Atherosclerosis

[CoastWatcher]

Bananas and avocados -- foods that are rich in potassium -- may help protect against pathogenic vascular calcification, also known as hardening of the arteries. Researchers at the University of Alabama-Birmingham have shown, for the first time, that reduced dietary potassium promotes elevated aortic stiffness in a mouse model, as compared with normal-potassium-fed mice. Such arterial stiffness in humans is predictive of heart disease and death from heart disease, and it represents an important health problem for the nation as a whole.

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have shown, for the first time, that reduced dietary potassium promotes elevated aortic stiffness in a mouse model, as compared with normal-potassium-fed mice. Such arterial stiffness in humans is predictive of heart disease and death from heart disease, and it represents an important health problem for the nation as a whole.

A need for bananas? Dietary potassium regulates calcification of arteries, EurekAlert, The Global Source for Science News, 5 October 2017

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-10/uoaa-anf100217.php#.WdcEE3DANAM.********

 

[ERO]

Great info. Thank you for posting!

 

[Vince]

I heard that on the radio when I was working out. There was a time when I enjoyed eating bananas, but a good ripe banana has too much sugar in it for me. I don't like the taste of green ones, many people use the green bananas in their smoothies for good probiotics.
I do eat avocados though.

 

[CoastWatcher]

I'm one of the few, I guess, who doesn't enjoy the taste of a banana.

 

[codus2112]

Love bananas, i eat 1 or 2 every day. Roughly 12 grams of natural sugar and 20 net carbs. A power food imo. Actually better alternatives potassium wise would be sweet potato or butternut squash. I dice squash up in 1" cubes and toss it with 4 tablespoons of melted butter, salt, pepper and pumpkin pie spice and roast it in the oven. Fantastic.

 

[Dave B.]

Bananas and avocados --
University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have shown, for the first time, that reduced dietary potassium promotes elevated aortic stiffness in a mouse model, as compared with normal-potassium-fed mice. Such arterial stiffness in humans is predictive of heart disease and death from heart disease, and it represents an important health problem for the nation as a whole.

I've learned over the years to take mouse studies with a pretty large grain of salt. If animal studies were easily translatable to humans we'd have no need for human trials.

I'll continue to eat avocado though and feel good about it!

 

[CoastWatcher]

I've learned over the years to take mouse studies with a pretty large grain of salt. If animal studies were easily translatable to humans we'd have no need for human trials.

I'll continue to eat avocado though and feel good about it!

You're absolutely right, I feel, about generalizing from a mouse study. That said, they give us something to think about and point the way to further possibilities.

 

[Nashtide]

I put 1/2 of a banana and 1/4 of an avocado in my morning smoothie every day.

 

[jdthoosier]

I heard that on the radio when I was working out. There was a time when I enjoyed eating bananas, but a good ripe banana has too much sugar in it for me. I don't like the taste of green ones, many people use the green bananas in their smoothies for good probiotics.
I do eat avocados though.

I can't do green bananas - upsets my stomach. I eat two ripe bananas a day, but not for probiotics. For probiotics, I eat a local artisan grass-fed full-fat yogurt, a local artisan kraut that has not been pasteurized, and a local artisan kombucha.

I make sure that I have some fat with the bananas though.

 

[Nashtide]

I can't do green bananas - upsets my stomach. I eat two ripe bananas a day, but not for probiotics. For probiotics, I eat a local artisan grass-fed full-fat yogurt, a local artisan kraut that has not been pasteurized, and a local artisan kombucha.

I make sure that I have some fat with the bananas though.

I can't drink kombucha. I drink homemade kefir for my probiotics. Supposed to be a better source of probiotics than yogurt. I make mine with a local grass fed full fat milk.