Bananas have long been recommended as dietary supplements for individuals suffering from digestive disorders due to their anti-ulcerogenic properties.
Gastric ulcers are painful condition posing and increasing problem to people in both the developing and developed worlds.
Affecting 1 of every 20 people worldwide, gastric ulcers are thought to be caused by an imbalance between luminal acid and pepsin on one side and the mucosal layer, phospholipid layer prostaglandins and other factors on the other side.
Some reports have indicated that many flavonoids posses anti-ulcerogenic activity.
Researchers have demonstrated the anti-ulcerogenic potential of banana-based compounds could yield important therapeutic applications for human ulcer treatment.
Flavonoids are believed to exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-neoplastic and hepatoprotective activities and to reduce acid secretion from gastric parietal cells.
The anti-ulcerogenic agents in banana are various flavonoids and the major components of this group polyphenolic compounds are the flavan-3,4-diols also known as leucoanthocyanidins.
A flavonoid of leucodelphinidin is more abundant in plantain than in banana pulp and has been reported to have an anti-ulcerogenic effect in humans and also have a protective effect against aspirin-induced damage to the gastric mucosa.
Anti-ulcerogenic of banana
