Adding Banana Could Change What You Get From A Berry Smoothie

Bananas and berries may be smoothie staples, but apparently they don’t play particularly well together. A small 2023 study found that the body absorbed dramatically fewer beneficial compounds called flavanols from a banana-based smoothie than a mixed-berry smoothie.

The reason appears to be an enzyme found at high levels in bananas that breaks down flavanols, which are found in berries, cocoa and grapes. Pineapple and oranges had little to no detectable activity from the same enzyme, making them potentially better smoothie partners if getting more flavanols is the goal.

That doesn’t mean bananas are suddenly bad for you, and the study was small and funded by Mars Inc., which sells a flavanol supplement, so take what you want from that. Your banana-berry smoothie is still perfectly welcome at breakfast, but these two smoothie favorites might be better off seeing other fruit.
Source: Food & Function