Contents:
- Medical Video: Bananas: Most Dangerous Fruit In The World
- Benefits of bananas to reduce the risk of heart disease
- Bananas can prevent strokes in vulnerable women
- How many bananas should be eaten to prevent the risk of stroke?
Medical Video: Bananas: Most Dangerous Fruit In The World
Delicious banana flavor and affordable price make this fruit a favorite of a million people. Not only can you make you full longer, it turns out there are hidden banana benefits for heart health. Summarized from various foreign studies, diligently eating bananas can prevent heart disease and stroke later on. Why is that?
Benefits of bananas to reduce the risk of heart disease
Research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) reported that there was a decrease in the formation of vascular calcification and hardening of the aorta in mice with a low potassium diet. Hardening of the aorta is one symptom of the occurrence of heart disease in humans.
Dr. Paul Sanders, kidney health specialist at UAB said that this discovery is important where high-potassium diets can improve prevention of vascular calcification in atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries can trigger a heart attack.
Another benefit of potassium is that it helps in lowering blood pressure by reducing levels of sodium (salt) in the blood. Blood pressure also affects heart health if it increases or is not controlled.
Bananas can prevent strokes in vulnerable women
Basically, a person's risk of having a stroke can increase with age. However, women were reported to be more prone to stroke than men.
There are several factors behind this. First, the average age of women is longer than men. Because of this, the risk for stroke can be even higher in women. Second, the risk of stroke in women can increase because it is influenced by the health conditions they have. Women are usually more vulnerable obese. Obese women also have a higher risk of stroke than obese men.
Potassium content in bananas can help prevent the risk of stroke in women who have high blood pressure (hypertension) or do not have high blood pressure. According to a study reported by the journal Stroke, women who routinely consume high-potassium foods have a lower risk of stroke compared to those who don't consume food at all.
How many bananas should be eaten to prevent the risk of stroke?
Not only for women, the National Heart Service officially recommends that everyone consume at least 3,500 mg of potassium every day to prevent strokes and other heart disease risks. A quarter of this total daily potassium requirement can be met by eating two bananas.You can get the remaining potassium intake fromother foods such as potatoes, broccoli, grains, fish and poultry meat.
But also pay attention not to eat a lot of foods high in potassium. Excessive potassium consumption can cause abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea.
Of course, eating bananas to prevent strokes and other risks of heart disease will be better balanced by reducing foods that contain lots of salt and saturated fats.
