After my first article on The Top Health Benefits of Banana, I have received mails containing questions like: What happens when you eat too many bananas? Are there side effects of eating banana?
I am no doctor, but a lover of research. Below is what I found out after those questions.
Health Risks of Bananas
2) The University of Maryland Medical Center reported that potassium over-consumption can lead to hyperkalemia, which is characterized by muscle weakness, temporary paralysis and an irregular heartbeat. It can have serious consequences, but you would have to eat about 43 bananas in a short time for any symptoms of hyperkalemia to occur.
3) According to the NIH, consuming more than 500 milligrams of vitamin B6 daily can possibly lead to nerve damage in the arms and legs. You would have to eat thousands of bananas to reach that level of vitamin B6.
4) According to a study, there are no significant side effects associated with eating bananas in moderation. However, eating these curvy yellow fruits in excess may trigger headaches and sleepiness. This study reveals that such headaches are caused by "the amino acids in bananas that dilate blood vessels."
5) Overripe bananas contain more of these amino acids than other bananas. "Bananas can also contribute to sleepiness when eaten in excess due to the high amount of tryptophan found in them." Magnesium also relaxes the muscles — another sometimes-benefit, sometimes-risk.
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6) Bananas are known as sugary fruits, so eating too many can lead to tooth decay, if you do not maintain proper dental hygiene practices.
7) Bananas do not contain enough fat or protein to be a healthy meal on their own, or an effective post-workout snack.
Banana Facts
According to Live Science, here are important facts about Banana you should know.
- Bananas may have been the world's first cultivated fruit. Archaeologists have found evidence of banana cultivation in New Guinea as far back as 8000 B.C.
- Bananas are produced mainly in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, Asia and the Americas, as well as the Canary Islands and Australia.
- Bananas do not grow on trees. The banana plant is classified as an arborescent (tree-like) perennial herb, and the banana itself is considered a berry.
- The correct name for a bunch of bananas is a hand; a single banana is a finger.
- Nearly all the bananas sold in stores are cloned from just one variety, the Cavendish banana plant, originally native to Southeast Asia.
- The Cavendish replaced the Gros Michel after that variety was wiped out by fungus. The Gros Michel reportedly was bigger, had a longer shelf life and tasted better.
- The Cavendish may face the same fate as the Gros Michel within the next 20 years, botanists say.
- Bananas are also called plantains. But in general use, "banana" refers to the sweeter form of the fruit, which is often eaten uncooked, while "plantain" refers to a starchier fruit that is often cooked before eating.
- There are 50 recognized species of banana.
- Wild bananas grow throughout Southeast Asia, but most are inedible for humans, as they are studded with hard seeds.
- The vast majority of bananas grown today are for consumption by the farmers or the local community. Only 15 percent of the global production of the fruit is grown for export.
- India is the leading producer of bananas worldwide, accounting for 23 percent of the total banana production, though most of the Indian plantains are for domestic use.
- In 1923, sheet music for a popular song titled "Yes, We Have No Bananas!" sold upward of a thousand copies a day.
- Harry Belafonte's version of the "Banana Boat Song" was released on the first album to sell over a million copies, Belafonte's "Calypso."
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