A popular fruit in Vietnam, considered "clean doping" by athletes.

(Dan Tri) - A fruit that was once associated with the backyard memories of Vietnamese people has now become a "natural energy bar" in the bags of professional athletes.

It is no coincidence that in the midst of highly physical matches, professional athletes choose to eat bananas. This seemingly simple fruit possesses enough nutrients to compete with any modern packaged energy drink or energy bar.

Federer chooses bananas as a source of carbohydrates and potassium (Photo: Getty).

Banana is a strange plant, both familiar and unique. It grows from a herbaceous plant, related to grass, but is as tall as a tree.

In fact, the banana is the world's largest flowering plant. In other words, it is a giant grass that can flower, bear fruit, and its fruit is loved by humans.

Bananas are a member of the berry family, along with grapes, raspberries, and tomatoes. However, compared to their plump, juicy cousins, bananas are on a completely different scale. Bananas have long stems and dense, gelatinous flesh, which feels firm in the hand and sweet and chewy when eaten.

From its native cradle, bananas spread across the world through the footsteps of farmers. The first destinations were Indochina and India, then continued across the continent to Africa and the Americas.

Southeast Asia is still the "capital" with the most banana varieties (Photo: Getty).

Rapid adaptation and high nutritional value have helped bananas become a popular fruit crop worldwide, appearing from family dinner tables to large-scale agricultural plantations.

However, in terms of biodiversity, Southeast Asia is still the "capital" with the most banana varieties.

Natural energy bars

In sports , performance is not only determined by technique, but also by the ability to maintain sustained energy. Bananas have an ideal nutritional profile for this purpose.

Bananas contain three natural sugars: glucose, fructose, and sucrose. When combined with fiber, these sugars are absorbed at a steady rate, providing instant energy while maintaining physical strength for a long time.

The combination of glucose, fructose and sucrose in bananas helps athletes maintain stable performance (Photo: Getty).

On average, a banana weighing about 118 grams contains 105 kcal, of which 90% comes from carbohydrates - mainly easily absorbed simple sugars.

Because of this characteristic, bananas are often present in the menus of marathon runners, soccer players, bodybuilders or people who practice high intensity training.

Naturalized player Nguyen Xuan Son - of Brazilian origin, once shared that bananas are the food he prioritizes during training with the Vietnamese national team.

A study published in the journal PLOS One (2012) tested the effectiveness of bananas versus energy drinks on 14 endurance cyclists. These athletes were divided into two groups: those who consumed bananas and those who consumed sports drinks during a 75 km race.

The results showed that bananas not only increased energy, but also improved complete blood count, plasma cytokines, and reduced oxidative stress in muscles during exercise. These results were all at a level equivalent to or better than sports drinks.

Gatekeeper for Muscle

Not only does bananas provide quick energy, they also have a positive effect on mood.

This fruit contains dopamine - a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of happiness and excitement. Not only does it help create a positive feeling after exercise, the dopamine in bananas also has the ability to neutralize free radicals produced when the body is under physical stress, thereby reducing inflammation and promoting the recovery process after exercise.

Dopamine in bananas aids in body recovery by neutralizing free radicals and reducing inflammation after exercise (Photo: Getty).

In addition, bananas also contain tryptophan - an amino acid that the body converts into serotonin. This is a compound that helps regulate emotions, reduce stress and improve mental concentration, especially useful in sports that require high alertness and endurance.

Another ingredient that makes bananas a muscle-building ally is potassium. With about 422 mg of potassium per banana, they are one of the most naturally occurring electrolytes.

Potassium plays a role in maintaining fluid balance in the body, stabilizing nerve activity and helping muscles contract and relax properly. In particular, potassium helps prevent cramps, which is especially important for long-term sports such as endurance running, cycling, and swimming.

Note when combining with some other foods

Bananas are considered a reliable “nutritional weapon” for athletes. However, combining bananas with some other foods can affect the absorption of nutrients, especially antioxidants.

A study published in 2023 in the journal Food & Function showed that when bananas are eaten with foods rich in flavan-3-ols such as grapes, apples, strawberries, cocoa, green tea..., the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in bananas can break down up to 84% of the flavan-3-ols absorbed into the blood.

This is a group of compounds that are beneficial for the heart, brain and skin, and are often found in foods rich in antioxidants.

Most of the benefits of strawberry Flavan-3-ols disappear when this compound meets a compound in bananas and is converted into something else (Photo: Tasting Table).

This interaction results in a significant reduction in the nutritional efficacy of both food groups.

So, if you're using bananas for muscle recovery or a post-workout energy boost, avoid combining them with dark chocolate, green tea, or other flavan-3-ol-rich fruits.

Bananas have many benefits, but like all natural supplements, their effectiveness depends on how they are used. When eaten at the right time and combined properly, bananas will fully play their role as a durable companion during every training session or competition.

Fruits, vegetables, and foods rich in Flavan-3-ols	Fruits, vegetables, and foods rich in PPO
Strawberry Blueberry Raspberry Grape Apple Dig Pear Cacao Chocolate Tea	Banana Apple Dig Pear Avocado Green cabbage Tomato Potato Sunflower seeds Chestnut

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/loai-qua-pho-bien-o-viet-nam-duoc-xem-la-doping-sach-cua-dan-the-thao-20251006195456746.htm