Banana, The Fruit Which Promotes Gut Microbiota and Bowel Movement Against Acute and Chronic Constipation, Medline Studies Show

Kyle J. Norton (Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Banana may be used as functional foods in prevention and treatment of acute and chronic constipation, some scientists suggested.

Constipation is natural condition characterized by infrequence or hard to pass of bowel movements

People with chronic constipation may experience symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating,.... and a feeling of not completely passed the bowel movement.

Untreated long term constipation may increase risk of hemorrhoids, anal fissure or fecal impaction, the most common complications of patient with chronic condition.

Acute constipation is a condition which starts suddenly and lasts for a 3 days or less due to prolonged inactivity, medication, dehydration, or missing a bowel movement. And chronic constipation is condition of a stool frequency of less than three per week that lasts several months.

Believe or not, constipation is the most common digestive complaint in the North America.

 The prevalence of chronic constipation ranges from 2-28%, affecting 63 million people in North America . Some studies suggested that prevalence of constipation increases with age and is more common in women than men.

The exact causes of constipation are still under evaluation. However, some researchers suggested that medical condition such as colon cancer, colon damage, diabetes, thyroid disorders, Parkinson’s disease, pregnancy and medications such as pain medications (narcotics), blood pressure medications (calcium channel blockers), anti-seizure medication, and antispasmodics are common risk factors  of constipation onset.

Furthermore, aging which has a strong implication in structural lesions of the colon may also associate to increased risk of the condition.

Dr. Lazebnik LB, in the final report of chronic constipation conducted by using data collected from 1189 randomly selected subjects older than 18 year old, said, "... low level of dietary fiber and fluid intake and low physical activity (in male younger 55 y.o. with increased body mass index)".

Banana is the common name of a genus of tropical herbaceous plants. It can grow from 3 to 9 m and belongs to the family of the lily and the orchid.

Nutrients
1. Vitamin B6
2. Vitamin C
3. Fiber
4. Potassium
5. Magnesium
6. Iron7. Etc.

Chemical constituents
1. Sterols
2. 3-Methyl butyl butanoate ester
3. steryl esters
4. Diacylglycerols,
5. SAteryl glucosides,
6. Long chain fatty alcohols
7. Aromatic compounds
8. Linoleic acid
9. Linolenic acid
10. Oleic acids
11. Lectin
12. Fructooligosaccharides

In the study of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) which are oligosaccharides occurred naturally in banana, researchers found that

* Dietary FOS are not hydrolyzed by small intestinal glycosidases and reach the cecum structurally unchanged.

* FOS are considered as soluble dietary fibre which processes a strong effect in prevention of risk acute constipation and treatment of chronic constipation.

* Furthermore, FOS are increasingly included in food products and infant formulas due to their prebiotic effect stimulate the growth of nonpathogenic intestinal microflora

* Moreover, consumption of banana fructooligosaccharides (FOS) not only increases fecal bolus and the frequency of depositions, but at a dose of 4-15 g/day given to healthy subjects, the oligosaccharides also will reduce constipation, one of the growing problems of modern society, and newborns during the first months of life.

These results suggested that banana containing major compound of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) may be used as functional foods in improved digestive system in absorbed nutrients and fluids and promoted bowel movement in prevention and treatment of acute and chronic constipation.

Unfortunately, in the investigated the significance and risk factors of bowel obstruction caused by the consumption of wild bananas (BOWB) in Laos, researchers at the SFE Medical Project suggested that while banana fruits are considered as digestive enhancer, intake of wild banana which often containing seeds can cause bowel obstruction, including constipation.

According to the study, out of participants of 227, 91.2% had eaten WB; 46.3% had also eaten the seeds and 45.4% knew of complications resulting from eating WB; 42.3% were aware of the complications of ingesting the seeds (constipation [37.9%], appendicitis/abdominal pain/vomiting [2.6% each] and bloated stomach/death [1.3% each]). 

The findings suggested that eating banana seeds is associated to increase risk of digestive dysfunction.

Taking altogether, the edible part of banana, containing major active compound fructooligosaccharides (FOS) may be used as alternative treatment for patients with acute and chronic chronic without inducing side effects.

People who are at infrequent bowel movement may want to add a portion of banana into their diet for preventive measure

Some types of banana in the tropical world contain seeds. Please don't eat them, if you find one

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published on line, including world wide health, ezine articles, article base, healthblogs, selfgrowth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bio science, ISSN 0975-6299
References
(1) [Prevalence and risk factors of constipation in the adult population of Moscow (according to population-based study MUSA)].[Article in Russian] by Lazebnik LB, Prilepskaia SI, Baryshnikov EN, Parfenov AI, Kosacheva TN.(PubMed)
(2) Dietary fructooligosaccharides and potential benefits on health by Sabater-Molina M1, Larqué E, Torrella F, Zamora S.(PubMed)
(3) Intestinal obstruction due to phytobezoars of banana seeds: a case report by choeffl V1, Varatorn R, Blinnikov O, Vidamaly V.(PubMed)
(4) Bowel obstruction from wild bananas: a neglected health problem in Laos by Slesak G1, Mounlaphome K, Inthalad S, Phoutsavath O, Mayxay M, Newton PN.(PubMed)