This Common Smoothie Ingredient Could Undo Some Of Its Heart Health Benefits

Among smoothie drinkers, the addition of bananas to the puree is a hotly debated topic. 

Some feel the ingredient, which is very commonly found in the drink, completely overwhelms the flavour. 

“Banana takes over the whole smoothie [for real],” TikTok user Fly Hi Chris said in his viral video. In the clip, he played a banana physically beating out the other fruit flavours – “they can only taste me!” he bragged after knocking out “strawberry”. 

Personally, I like the addition. But according to research from Food and Function, the 60,000+ app users who agreed with Fly Hi Chris about hating the ingredient may accidentally be making a healthier choice.  

Why might bananas make your smoothie less healthy? 

Per the study, which was led by the University of California, Davis, as well as the University of Reading, the addition may take away your ability to absorb flavonols from the drink. 

Flavonols are natural compounds found in things like cocoa, cherries, strawberries, grapes, and teas. Because they can make fruits and veggies red or purple, produce with those colours tends to be higher in flavonols. 

Scientists think they might be good for our health because they appear to have antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. 

But in the 2023 Food and Function research, scientists found that polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme found in lots of fruits and veggies, especially those that have been cut and bruised, seemed to inhibit participants’ absorption of flavonols. 

This enzyme is found in quite high levels in bananas. 

This, the scientists theorised, may be why adding a banana to a smoothie decreased flavanol absorption compared to those who took a flavanol capsule or drank a smoothie made only with mixed berries.

After testing participants’ blood and urine, the researchers put the figure at 84% less than the control (flavanol capsule) group after a banana was added.

Speaking to the University of Reading, Prof Gunter Kuhnle, Professor of Nutrition and Food Science at the institution, said: “If you don’t consume enough flavanols, it can negatively affect cardiovascular health.

“In older adults, a deficiency of flavanols is also linked to cognitive decline. So, it’s clear we need them, but the question is how best to get flavanols from the food and drinks we consume.”