I love a good smoothie. I used to make my own every day, and still will frequently pick up one at a local juice bar or smoothie shop post-workout. Strawberry banana is a classic combo and one I can never get enough of. I don’t know about you, but I frequently turn to banana-based smoothies due to the fruit’s health benefits. Plus, they always help to fill me up. However, a new study is making me think twice about adding that banana!
Apparently, bananas contain an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (PPO) that may reduce the absorption of flavan-3-ols, a group of natural compounds found in many fruits, with a host of health benefits. According to the study, published in the journal Food & Function, adding a banana to your smoothie could significantly decrease how much of these beneficial compounds your body absorbs. Some of flavan-3-ols’ purported health benefits include a reduced risk of heart disease, reduced inflammation, neuroprotection, and protection against free radicals. Basically, a ton of good stuff. So, can adding a banana really cancel out all those benefits from your other smoothie ingredients?
Well, the study found that drinking a banana-based smoothie led to much lower levels of flavan-3-ols in the blood compared to drinking a mixed berry smoothie or taking a flavan-3-ol supplement. Surprisingly, even when the banana was eaten after the smoothie, absorption was still reduced. Registered dietitian nutritionist, Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LD, CLEC, CPT, speculates this is likely because the PPO enzyme remains active in the stomach and continues to interact with flavan-3-ols during digestion.
Before you go bananas over the banana, Manaker says there are a few things you should keep in mind before tossing the tropical fruit. First off, she notes that there were a few limitations with this particular study. “One limitation of the study was that flavan-3-ols were added to fruit smoothies to create a consistent level of these compounds. This may differ from flavan-3-ols naturally present in fruit, as the added compounds might react differently with the enzyme PPO in the drink,” she explains. “Additionally, the study only included male participants and a very small sample size.”
She also points out that most people don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables to meet the recommended intake of flavan-3-ols to begin with, so the real-world impact of this interaction may be limited for the average person.
Should you ditch the bananas in your regular smoothie? “While flavan-3-ols are beneficial, they’re just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to fruit smoothies,” says Manaker. “Even if bananas do slightly impact the absorption of flavan-3-ols, that shouldn’t overshadow all the other amazing benefits of including them in your diet.”
Additionally, the majority of Americans do not get enough fruit or fiber in their daily diets, and bananas conveniently help with both. Manaker says that if you can live without a banana in your smoothie, skip it! However, if bananas are a must-have ingredient for you, she says this study shouldn’t scare you away from adding them in.
If you ditch the ‘naners, go for other healthy options like berries, which are packed with antioxidants and vitamins, mangoes, pineapples, oranges, grapefruits, and even avocados. None of these fruits contain the PPO that will counteract some of the health components of other ingredients.
The bottom line: Enjoying a smoothie packed with fruits you love and nutrients your body needs is better than skipping it altogether. Bananas still offer plenty of health benefits, so don’t let this new research sour your smoothie routine.
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