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8 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Bananas
1. Bananas Contain Many Important Nutrients
Bananas are among the world’s most popular fruits.

Native to Southeast Asia, they are now grown in many warm parts of the world.

Bananas vary in color, size and shape.

The most common type is the Cavendish, which is a type of dessert banana. Green when unripe, it yellows as it matures.

Bananas contain a fair amount of fiber, as well as several antioxidants. One medium-sized banana (118 grams) also boasts :

Potassium: 9% of the RDI
Vitamin B6: 33% of the RDI
Vitamin C: 11% of the RDI
Magnesium: 8% of the RDI
Copper: 10% of the RDI
Manganese: 14% of the RDI
Net carbs: 24 grams
Fiber: 3.1 grams
Protein: 1.3 grams
Fat: 0.4 grams
Each banana has only about 105 calories and consists almost exclusively of water and carbs. Bananas hold very little protein and almost no fat.

The carbs in green, unripe bananas consist mostly of starch and resistant starch, but as the banana ripens, the starch turns into sugar (glucose, fructose and sucrose).
2. Bananas Contain Nutrients That Moderate Blood Sugar Levels
Bananas are rich in pectin, a type of fiber that gives the flesh its spongy structural form.

Unripe bananas contain resistant starch, which acts like soluble fiber and escapes digestion.

Both pectin and resistant starch may moderate blood sugar levels after meals and reduce appetite by slowing the emptying of your stomach .

Furthermore, bananas also rank low to medium on the glycemic index (GI), which is a measure — from 0–100 — of how quickly foods increase blood sugar levels.