Are Bananas Good For Your Prostate?

Prostate health depends on many factors, including the food we eat. 

Some foods harm our prostate, whereas others support its function and help prevent or manage various diseases affecting this gland. 

What about bananas? Are they good or bad for your prostate? Scroll down to find out.

Are bananas good for your prostate? 

A growing body of evidence confirms that consumption of fruits and vegetables exhibits favorable effects on the prostate and may lower the risk of prostate cancer. (1)

Bananas are among the most accessible fruits; you can easily find them anywhere all year round. While research on this subject is limited, the reality is that bananas are beneficial for your prostate.

How do bananas protect the prostate?

As mentioned above, evidence on this subject is scarce. Further research is necessary to uncover mechanisms of action through which bananas protect the prostate. 

One potential mechanism could be its antioxidant profile. Evidence confirms that banana pulp, stem, and peel are all good sources of antioxidants, including phenolic compounds and carotenoids (2).

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and oxidative stress or damage they would cause. Oxidative stress is a major component of prostate cancer, but some studies show it also plays a role in benign prostatic hyperplasia, i.e., enlarged prostate (3, 4).

Bananas exhibit protective effects on the prostate, thanks to the nutrients they contain. Some of these nutrients include fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, all of which are necessary for the health and function of the prostate gland. 

For that reason, bananas could contribute to prostate cancer treatment and help a cancer patient improve their quality of life. 

What are the benefits of bananas for prostate conditions?

Bananas are beneficial for the prostate in many ways. Below, we focus on its potential role in preventing and managing the most common prostate conditions. 

Prostate cancer

One in eight men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at one point in their lifetime. Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer type in American men.

Bananas have a strong potential in reducing the risk of prostate cancer or helping manage it. A study confirmed active compounds in bananas exhibit cancer preventative and anticancer activities in cervical, breast cancer, colorectal, hepatic, esophageal, oral, skin, and prostate cancers. 

Bioactive components in bananas could inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells and dysregulate oncogenic signaling pathways (5). In other words, bananas could slow down cancer growth and thereby make it easier to manage this disease.

Antioxidants in bananas could help fight prostate cancer and aid in cancer prevention. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the initiation and progression of prostate cancer by regulating DNA, cell cycle regulators, transcription factors, and others (6).

Bananas also contain vitamin B6, which is associated with better prostate cancer survival. 

Additionally, bananas are a great source of fiber. Dietary fiber could decrease prostate cancer risk by elevating circulating concentrations of sex hormone-binding globulin and improving insulin sensitivity. 

Low fiber intake could increase the risk of prostate cancer. Bananas could help men obtain more fiber and thereby reduce the likelihood of developing prostate cancer (7).

Anti-cancer properties of bananas are numerous, but they require further research, especially when it comes to prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer patients may want to join a support group where men with the same disease share their experiences and support one another on the road to recovery. This can have a positive impact on your mental health and wellbeing. 

Besides bananas, make sure to increase your vitamin D consumption, pomegranate juice, cruciferous vegetables, and green tea, all of which are beneficial for your prostate gland.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or an enlarged prostate, is a common condition indicated by noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. This condition can cause uncomfortable lower urinary tract symptoms such as urinary urgency and frequency. 

Banana could aid the management of BPH. Journal In Vivo published a study that found banana flower extract could help treat enlarged prostate. Banana flower reduced epithelial cell lines and suppressed BPH-related inflammatory responses. At the same time, the extract decreased the weight of the prostate (8).

Banana peel is also beneficial for the management of enlarged prostate. In one study, banana peel inhibited 5-alpha-reductase and proved to be useful for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (9).

Moreover, nutrients in bananas could also aid the management of enlarged prostate. For example, vitamin C helps alleviate BPH symptoms by reducing swelling and promoting urination. You can also find high vitamin C content in citrus fruit.

The fiber content in bananas could help manage BPH, as well. More research on this subject is necessary, but fiber could aid the management of BPH by promoting insulin sensitivity (10).

Dietary fiber, present in fresh fruit, supports digestive health and the function of gut microbiota. This is particularly important since the gut microbiome plays a role in many prostate diseases, including BPH.

Keep in mind that management of prostate enlargement requires a healthy lifestyle. Some men may need surgery, especially if the size of their prostate gland has increased significantly. Don’t ignore this problem. Instead, see your doctor and discuss your treatment options.

Prostatitis 

Prostatitis is swelling or inflammation of the prostate gland. There are four types of prostatitis:

• Acute bacterial prostatitis – causes severe and sudden symptoms
• Chronic bacterial prostatitis – less severe symptoms, recurring or ongoing bacterial infection
• Chronic pelvic pain syndrome – also known as chronic prostatitis, no evidence of infection
• Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis – prostate is inflamed, no symptoms

Symptoms of prostatitis can be uncomfortable and negatively affect a man’s quality of life. The good news is that prostatitis is manageable. 

There’s a lot you can do to manage your symptoms and thereby make the condition more tolerable. Diet plays an important role in the management of prostatitis. 

Eating a well-balanced diet abundant in fruit and vegetable is crucial. That also means you need to eat bananas too.

Bananas could aid prostatitis management thanks to active compounds that alleviate inflammation. Antioxidants and phenolic compounds could act on inflammatory markers and thereby reduce the intensity of symptoms.

Also, the fiber in bananas could help with prostatitis. Fiber supports gut microbiota. Problems with the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut could influence the prostate gland and contribute to different types of prostatitis. 

Prostatitis is one of those health problems that require a proactive approach. That means ignoring the problem will not make it go away. 

Instead, you need to make healthier lifestyle measures, eat a healthy diet, and adhere to the doctor’s instructions to alleviate the symptoms you’re experiencing. 

Other health benefits of bananas 

The health benefits of bananas are truly numerous, and they go beyond their positive effect on prostate wellbeing. Some of the most significant health benefits of bananas include:

• Better heart health, reduced risk of heart disease
• Blood pressure management 
• Promoting digestive and colon health
• Supporting weight loss
• Appetite suppression
• Energy boost
• Improved insulin sensitivity (when unripe)
• Better kidney health
• Aiding exercise recovery

Bananas are also easy to add to your diet. The weight loss benefits of bananas could act as yet another mechanism through which these long fruits support prostate health. After all, excess weight increases the risk of prostate cancer and enlarged prostate. 

Eating bananas make you feel full and thereby suppresses your appetite. As a result, you consume fewer calories. This is important because calorie deficit is the cornerstone of successful weight loss. By helping you slim down or maintain weight in a healthy range, bananas could indirectly lower the risk of common prostate diseases. 

Conclusion

Bananas are among the most popular and easily accessible fruits in the world. Consumption of bananas is associated with a wide range of health benefits, including blood pressure management. 

Most people don’t know that bananas are also beneficial for prostate health. This delicious fruit could reduce the risk of prostate cancer or aid its management. 

It’s also beneficial for prostatitis and enlarged prostate. A lot more research on this subject is necessary to understand all the mechanisms of action through which bananas work.

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