Posted on 08/25/2023 12:10:49 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Researchers suggest that blending certain ingredients in smoothies can influence whether your body is getting a nutritional boost.
The study used smoothies to test how various levels of polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme in many fruits and vegetables, affects the levels of flavanols in food to be absorbed by the body. Flavanols are a group of bioactive compounds that are good for your heart and cognitive health and are naturally found in apples, pears, blueberries, blackberries, grapes and cocoa—common smoothie ingredients.
Slice an apple or peel a banana and the fruit will quickly turn brown. That happens because of polyphenol oxidase, or PPO, an enzyme naturally present in those foods.
The researchers had participants drink a smoothie made with banana, which has naturally high PPO activity, and a smoothie made with mixed berries, which have naturally low PPO activity. Participants also took a flavanol capsule as a control. The researchers found that those who drank the banana smoothie had 84% lower levels of flavanols in their body compared to the control.
"We were really surprised to see how quickly adding a single banana decreased the level of flavanols in the smoothie and the levels of flavanol absorbed in the body," Ottaviani said.
Ottaviani said for people who are trying to consume flavanols, they should consider preparing smoothies by combining flavanol-rich fruits like berries with other ingredients that also have a low PPO activity like pineapple, oranges, mango or yogurt.
He also said bananas remain a great fruit to be eaten or consumed in smoothies. For those who want to consume smoothies with bananas, or other high PPO activity fruits and vegetables such as beet greens, the suggestion is to not combine them with flavanol-rich fruits such as berries, grapes and cocoa.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Common foods producing the (PPO - “polyphenol oxidase”) enzyme include mushrooms, apples (likely non-peel portions), avocados, and lettuce.
Added to banana and beet greens, as PPOs, from the story.
Flavanol sources (from the write up): Apples (likely peel), pears, blueberries, blackberries, grapes, cocoa, and tea.
The key to not losing 84% of your key flavanol antioxidants in your meal is to ingest PPOs and flavanols in separate meals or occasions.
I have a tablespoon of Hersheys Cocoa unsweetened in my first morning coffee almost everyday. I add about 10 little dark chocolate chips 72% to give a bit of sweetness. Theobromine is my blood pressure friend, takes 2 hours to kick in.
Good to know! I always add beet greens because they come free with the beets.
I’m about 90% carnivore. Guess I’ll have to live my life without flavonoids. Of course, with almost all diet research, the problem is association doesn’t mean squat.
Bananas in smoothies are a big part of how my wife got fat. She’s loosing weight now that she has cut out her smoothies. A fruit smoothie can be a sugar bomb pretending to be healthy...
“Theobromine is my blood pressure friend, takes 2 hours to kick in.”
I’m guessing coffee is NOT my blood pressure friend, but I doubt blood pressure BY ITSELF has a lot of meaning. I suspect it is a symptom not a cause, that while very high blood pressure IS a serious issue, what makes it serious is WHY it is high. If it is high because of gunk in your arteries, it is a problem.
This really sucks to know, but know I guess I must.
I really love bananas in my smoothie.
Decaf only for me. My BP runs only slightly toward high, 145-90 some days. I have a small dose Benicar 5mg for BP but only need it once or twice a week maybe. I check it everyday and there is no doubt the cocoa n coffee lowers my BP within 2 hours. Not a lot but I believe it helps keeps me off everyday BP meds. The theobromine is what is believed to help. Plus Coca is full of all kinds of good flavonoids and fiber and no sugar.
I love bananas. I guess I can’t put them in smoothies, though. Darn.
Unfortunately, the Special Dark was tested to have higher toxic mineral levels.
Hershey's Special Dark (1 Tablespoon): Cadmium = 3.2 mcg; Lead = 0.36 mcg
Much better:
Good & Gather Unsweetened (Target) (1 Tablespoon): Cadmium = 0.53 mcg; Lead = 0.32 mcg
The regular Hersheys 100% Unsweetened Cacao, non alkalized Cocoa. I’m sure some of the other Cocoas may be better or higher quality but who really knows. I just stick to Hersheys old fashioned like Mom used.
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