Cancer Fighting Fruit – Bananas

Have you ever thrown out your banana’s just because they went all brown? Or put them in the freezer (to save for a rainy day when you absolutely must bake your grandma’s favorite BANANA BREAD recipe)? I have.

So many of us have gotten so spoiled with the “perfect looking” bananas at the store, that the second they go a tad brown – or show attributes that shy away from perfection – we refuse to eat them. However, new research coming out of Japan suggests that those “brown spots” on the bananas may not be as bad as we would have previously thought.

Benefits of Bananas vs. Other Fruits

It all started with a simple experiment conducted in Japan by Projessor Senji. Specifically, lab mice were injected with extracts from a variety of fruits, including bananas. Out of all the fruit injected into the mice, banana marked the most improvements in the overall health of the mice. Bananas not only boosted the white blood cell count, but also inhibited the growth of cancer cells.

So what was it in the bananas that improved the overall health of these mice?

Indeed, the fully ripe banana with dark patches on yellow skin produced a substance called Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), which actually has the ability to combat abnormal cells. Scientifically speaking {will try not to get too excited here and carried away}, TNF is a protein with the ability to correspond with cells and regulate their cellular activity and coordinate their movement. This is why TNF can actually inhibit the development of such abnormal cells in your body.

How does the TNF (Chemical Produced From the Brown Spots On Banana’s) Actually Prevent Cancer Cells?

So you may be thinking {as was I}, that how could something as minuscule as the TNF molecule actually be powerful enough to combat cancer cells?? The protein (TNF’s) “plan-of-action” is really quite interesting. What it does, is it pumps excess surrounding water {found in your body} into harmful cells, causing them to burst from the pressure!

Organic Bananas

So now that you know the incredible health benefits of “brown banana’s” {aka – a tad over-ripe}, maybe you will think twice about choosing the “green/non-ripe” or “perfectly yellow” banana’s at the grocery store. I know I will! Maybe even opt for the “organic bananas”, as they are often not sprayed with any chemicals that prolong the ripening process, and thus go “ripe/brown” faster.

There is always beauty in the imperfections.