It's OK, Go Bananas at the Gym

Next time you head to the gym to burn some calories, go ahead and skip that sugary sports drink. Grab a banana and some water instead.

It turns out that the portable snack – a longtime favorite of athletes – is as beneficial as a sports drink.

In fact, bananas provide antioxidants you won’t find in a sports drink, according to a study conducted by researchers at Appalachian State University’s Human Performance Lab.

“We wanted to see which was more beneficial when consumed during intense cycling – bananas or a carbohydrate sports drink,” said Dr. David C. Nieman, director of the lab. “We found that not only was performance the same whether bananas or sports drinks were consumed, there were several advantages to consuming bananas.”

Fiber. Potassium. The vitamin B6.

Bananas provide these nutrients as well as a “healthier blend of sugars than sports drinks,” a news release states. Although the study was funded by Dole Foods, it has been published in the peer-reviewed online journal PLoS ONE by the nonprofit Public Library of Science (PLoS).

During the study, cyclists drank a cup of sports drink or ate half of a banana every 15 minutes during a 75-kilometer simulated road race that lasted up to 3 hours. Researchers analyzed blood samples from the cyclists taken before and after the race.

The results of the study apply to any type of exercise, the researchers said.

“The mode of exercise is not the issue,” Nieman said. “I think there are a lot of athletes who don’t like the thought of drinking carbohydrate sports drinks, which are essentially flavored sugar water. This type of research shows that you can have healthier carbohydrate sources before and after exercise that will support athletic performance just as well as a sports drink.”

Alice Warchol is a freelance health blog writer and fitness instructor.

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