Study Finds Adding Bananas To Your Berry Smoothie Can Reduce Its Nutritional Value

Smoothies are becoming extremely popular as a breakfast option. This is because it is easy to make and keeps you full for long. On the other hand, it is also nutritious due to the presence of different fruits and greens. You can mix fruits, vegetables and seeds of your choice and it will benefit your health in numerous ways. However, it is also important that you keep in mind the fruits you’re mixing. Having the wrong mix of fruits in your smoothie can reduce its nutritional value.

A new research published in Food Function said that mixing certain fruits can decrease the benefits of other ingredients. The researchers pointed to a popular combination; banana and berry. According to the study, when you combine bananas with berries, it reduces the flavanols in the smoothies. Flavonols are a key compound in berries which has several health benefits. It’s reduction is not a good sign. They help to reduce blood pressure levels and cholesterol, prevent blood clots and also improve blood sugar and brain function.

Bananas are used in most smoothies along with berries, greek yoghurt, milk and spinach. However, when bananas come in contact with air, they release polyphenol oxidase (PPO), which starts a process of enzymatic browning. This PPO impacts the flavanols present in the smoothie.

Healthy men between the age of 25-60 participated in the study. Researchers asked the participants to consume a low-flavanol diet before the beginning and during the study. The participants were divided into two groups and were advised to consume banana smoothie with high PPO activity whereas the other group was advised to consume a mixed berry smoothie with low PPO activity.

Results revealed that the intake of flavanols in a high PPO banana smoothie significantly reduced the levels of flavonols in circulation after consumption.

Javier Ottaviani, PhD, director of the Core Laboratory of Mars Edge and lead author of the study said, “Smoothies and juices made with flavanol-rich foods such as apples and berries have become a popular way for people to increase their intake of flavanols. So, we wanted to understand, on a very practical level, how common foods and food preparations, such as smoothies, could affect the availability of flavanols to be absorbed by the body after intake.

“We were surprised to see how adding a single banana rapidly decreased the amount of flavanols in the smoothie and consequently on the levels of flavanols in the body.”

Ottaviani also suggested some alternatives to bananas. “Bananas remain a great option for smoothie preparation, but not if you want to maintain the flavanols in your smoothie. We saw that the PPO in the banana caused the flavanol levels in the smoothie to decline rapidly after preparation, so low-PPO foods such as pineapple, oranges, mango and yoghurt would be good alternatives,” Ottaviani said.