Unripe Bananas Might Help Prevent Cancer: Study

For many years, scientists have been trying to find a treatment or preventative for cancer. In fact, eating unripe bananas may help prevent cancer, according to a recent study.

Eating slightly unripe bananas may help prevent cancer

A balanced diet rich in fiber has been shown to lower the risk of developing chronic diseases as you age. Researchers have now found proof that eating bananas that are just past ripe may help avoid a hereditary form of cancer.

Researchers examined data collected over 30 years to assess the impact that particular diets can have on an inherited condition that makes people more susceptible. The early stage of this study involved a survey of about 1,000 Lynch syndrome patients. People who have this illness inherit a damaged copy of a gene that produces proteins for DNA repair.

As damage to DNA is a fundamental cause of cancer, people with Lynch syndrome are more likely to be diagnosed with certain cancers, like colorectal, stomach, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and uterine cancer. However, the researchers found that eating legumes, potatoes, and even slightly unripe bananas can prevent cancer in these individuals.

Finding the hack

Starch that is resistant to hacking. All of the above foods have a high resistant starch content. The researchers also believed there was a valid cause to investigate it. The team’s first hypothesis, however, wasn’t accurate, according to Inverse’s report.

According to John Mathers, one of the paper’s authors, there is already evidence that resistant starch may have biological effects that may be cancer-preventive.

At first, they believed that the defense came from a chemical made of resistant starch. Instead, it appears that the protective ingredient may have been caused by secondary bile.

It’s an interesting finding. And increasing the amount of resistant starch in a Lynch syndrome patient’s diet might make sense. It won’t prevent all cancer, either. But it could decrease the risk of several others, which is better than taking no preventative measures at all.