Are Bananas good for testosterone? The news might be shocking but yes, bananas are the new testosterone boosters for this year!
Every year we see tons of rumors about different foods bringing different health benefits to our lives.
While bananas have been new for their excellent benefits for the heart and nervous system for ages, the new buzz has created a sense of joy among men across the globe.
After all banana is the easiest and the tastiest snack being popular among weight loss planners, and now an all-rounder.
So here is what we found about the link between you’re most preferred protein fruit banana and your masculine power.
Do Bananas Increase Your Testosterone?
Yes, it does!
There are significant studies that support the fact that bananas may increase testosterone levels in men. This may be due to one of the potent ingredients inside it, bromelain.
Most of the studies have highlighted that bromelain, the proteolytic enzyme that increases amino acids in your body has a direct effect on testosterone.
Bananas has got not one, but many reasons to boost your testosterone! All of these reasons go deep into its core of rich nutrient profile that boasts the star kid bromelain, followed by:
- 3 grams of fiber
- 11 mg of Vitamin C
- 27 mg of the Vitamin B complex
- 32 mg carotenes
- 451 mg of potassium
- 7 mg phosphorous
- 34 mg of magnesium
- 7 mg of lutein and zeaxanthin
These nutrients have their ways to boost testosterone, but the most significant mechanism is that of bromelain and magnesium.
Let’s look at one such study to understand how bromelain could be the testosterone booster in bananas.
Study on Bromelain
The study was conducted on bromelain extracted from the pineapple (another source of bromelain) to explore its benefits on muscle.
It involved the key aspects of whether supplementing with bromelain would affect the testosterone and muscles.
For the observations, 15 cyclists were selected for 6 days post which the blood samples were collected.
According to the results, bromelain helped in maintaining the testosterone levels on all 6 days as compared to placebo.
Another study highlighted that magnesium is a potent T-booster because of its rich properties.
Study on Magnesium
The study coupled magnesium supplements and workouts for 4 weeks and observations were made:
- Resting period before supplementation
- Exhaustion period before supplementation
- And then the same measures after supplementation
According to the results, magnesium was able to boost testosterone for the groups in all the post-measurements.
However the result was higher among people who took magnesium along with exercise, that is the exhaustion measures.
Other than magnesium and bromelain, the rest of its nutrient content also has a role in boosting testosterone by regulating metabolic pathways in the body.
Let’s find out how.
How Do Bananas Increase Testosterone?
The nutrients perform various roles in your body that indirectly support your testosterone increase:
#1. Balancing the Stress Hormone
The more stress in your life the lower your masculine power is! Stress induces the body to release cortisol which can deplete your testosterone levels:
Directly by inhibiting the production of testosterone from the testes. Indirectly, the body focuses on producing more cortisol and less on other hormones to maintain a balance.
Eating bananas infuses you with vitamins B and C that calm your nervous system and muscles down, reducing cortisol levels.
#2. Regulating the Blood Flow
Potassium and magnesium together maintain healthy blood pressure ranges and hence improve the blood flow and oxygenation in all corners of the body.
Yes, that includes the testes, and hence a better production of T-levels is an indirect result.
#3. Healthy Sugar Levels
Bananas have fibers that slow down the absorption of carbs in your body, maintaining a slow sugar release.
Other nutrients, like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in bananas regulate healthy insulin sensitivity.
Since studies have found testosterone linked with insulin resistance in a bidirectional manner, keeping up your insulin will keep the T-levels in line.
So, are you still going to Google do bananas kill testosterone? Or is banana gonna be on your favorites list?
Well if you are still confused, bananas are not just going to support your testosterone. But also some other fitness areas that surely going to take you closer to your goals.
Other Health Benefits of Banana
If you were planning to boost testosterone to achieve your fitness goals, like weight loss, or muscle boost, then banana is gonna be the perfect fit as:
#1. It Helps in Weight Loss
The fibers keep you full for longer periods, keeping your portion sizes healthy enough to minus the extra calories. Being rich in protein and essential carbs t also promotes satiety for a longer hour to help balance appetite for weight loss.
#2. Better Workouts
Bananas are an amazing workout snack as the potassium and magnesium boost up your workout recovery preventing soreness and injury.
#3. Antioxidants for Healthy Muscles
The antioxidants present in bananas prevent your body cells from getting damaged promoting not only healthy testosterone levels but also a good muscle build.
With bananas already being on the list of answers for which foods increase testosterone the most, let’s now explore some of our options.
Foods that Increase Testosterone The Most
Other than bananas, you can color up your diet with:
- Eggs – for their cholesterol content as cholesterol is a precursor for testosterone. They also contain zinc and Vitamin D for rapid testosterone production.
- Ginger – is an anti-oxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties to protect your testicular cells from oxidative stress, and hence promote testosterone.
- Garlic – has aliicin that lowers cortisol and ensures smooth testosterone release.
- Oysters – contain zinc, a well-known mineral for boosting testosterone.
- Fatty fishes – have healthy omega-3- fatty acids that also aid in overall health development
You can combine these foods into the diet to increase the natural production of testosterone levels. Now let’s conclude the overall discussion by gathering the facts.
Conclusion
Bananas tend to be the coolest, most versatile, and easiest way of boosting testosterone as per the scientific studies around its nutrient content.
Hence the possibility of them being testosterone killers is ruled out!
But that doesn’t mean that all foods are testosterone boosters as some foods like processed foods could lead to testosterone decline as well.
The other foods that kill testosterone include soy products as it has phytoestrogens, mint for its anti-androgenic properties, flaxseed can elevate estrogen, and high caffeine as it raises cortisol.
Another key rule of maintaining testosterone levels is maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle.
