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Bananas – radioactive enhancement for runners
Table of Contents
1. The Rule of Sixty Minutes
One of the most important things after training, especially strength training, is to quickly replenish lost glycogen stores. In strength training up to 80% of the energy comes from glucose breakdown. The body is much more willing to replace its lost stores right after exercise - this is called supercompensation. It results in mechanisms such as faster transport of glucose from the blood to the inside of the cells and faster glycogenic regeneration. Studies show that delaying a potency meal for more than 2 hours after the end of training can lead to a decrease in the effectiveness of the potency of glycogens. The sixty-minute rule says that a potency meal should be consumed within an hour of completing exercise.2. Bananas - their nutritional value
Bananas are not just delicious, but also incredibly nutritious. In 100 grams, they contain: - 97 calories, - 1 gram of protein, - 23.5 grams of carbohydrates, - 1.7 grams of fiber, - 0.33 grams of fat, - 6 milligrams of calcium, - 33 milligrams of magnesium, - 396 milligrams of potassium, - 0.5 milligrams of niacin. Notably, bananas have a high concentration of carbohydrates, simple sugars, potassium, and magnesium. Therefore, bananas are an excellent component of a nutritious meal after a workout.3. It serves as an energy-boosting drink
Research has shown that bananas can be as effective in training as a 6% carbohydrate drink. In one study, trained cyclists performed double training cycles – the first with a drink, the second with a banana (bananas were taken at the same time as water, so that the amount of fluids taken in both groups was the same). The participants took 0.2 g of carbs per kilogram of body weight for every 15 minutes of exercise. It was found that in the same cases, glucose levels, inflammation and oxidative stress were the same. However, the consumption of bananas compared to the consumption of drinks resulted in an increase in dopamine levels. This increase was not significant enough to cause any effects. Dopamine is a water-soluble antioxidant, but it does not penetrate the brain and has no effect on mood. The peel of the banana contains a higher content of dopamine than the fruit itself, which provides a basis for further studies on the use of supplements based on banana peel.4. The world champion's sustenance is 16 bananas daily
Yohan Blake is a Jamaican lightweight athlete, sprinter, and world championship gold laureate. Does the secret of his swiftness lie in his mode of nourishment? This runner testifies that he consumes up to 16 bananas daily, and when he was younger this number reached up to 30 fruits. He substantiates this on his fondness for the taste of bananas, but also the high potassium content in these fruits. Bananas make for an excellent source of this mineral, and the requirement for this component in a performance athlete is significantly higher. The high potassium content in bananas is deemed an advantage. Could it also be a source of ionizing radiation?5. Bananas possess such a level of radioactivity that they can activate an alarm
Bananas are indeed radioactive, possessing a radioactive isotope of potassium (40K) in their composition which, when broken down, emits β particles. The content of this isotope is only 0.0117% of the total potassium concentration in bananas. Assuming a large banana contains about 600 mg of potassium, the average amount of radioactive element will be 7.02 × 10^(-5) g. If we consume one banana a day, our annual exposure to ionizing radiation will increase by 0.035 millisieverts. Sievert is a unit of measurement for the impact of ionizing radiation on living organisms, and this amount is significantly smaller than, for example, exposure from X-rays, which can reach up to 10 mSv. Therefore, we should not worry, as bananas do not pose a significant radiation risk for the average consumer.6. Do banana ends indeed harbor lamblia or spider eggs?
Banana ends, contrary to popular belief, do not harbor lamblia nor spider eggs. Giardia lamblia is a parasite that is widespread globally. Giardiosis in Poland occurs in up to 10% of the population. It is transmitted by the fecal-oral route, that is, belongs to the so-called dirty hand diseases. Infection occurs when cysts (one of the forms that the parasite takes) pass into the mouth. However, cysts can be found on any unwashed fruit, not just bananas. What about spider eggs? The introduction of exotic spider eggs from bananas is extremely rare. Cases of finding spider eggs in bananas are rare and considered exceptions. In 2013, a British girl in a supermarket had the luck to buy bananas in which she found eggs of one of the most dangerous spiders in the world. The spider itself was hidden in a bunch of bananas and transported to her workplace by a 53-year-old British office worker. However, this does not change the fact that these are sporadic cases and we should not give up bananas in our diet.
