It's a common fruit, but one doctor has claimed that it's actually not healthy
A doctor has claimed that a fruit which is commonly eaten by millions could actually be bad for you.
Eating plenty of fruit of veg is generally a good idea, especially getting lots of greens in your diet.
While there might be the saying that 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away', Dr Pompa appears to have claimed that the same is not true of another commonly eaten fruit.
Dr Pompa
Now there are of course plenty of fruits out there in the world which might look delicious, but are actually poisonous to humans, but this is not one of those.
It is the humble banana, a common fruit which many of us might enjoy as part of a packed lunch, as it comes with its own handy natural wrapping, in a smoothie, or sliced up on porridge.
But Dr Pompa has some pretty strong opinions about bananas, even saying: "I believe this is the most dangerous fruit we can eat."
He added: "Actually, I think it's not even healthy, yet parents are giving it to [their] children. It's even found in healthy smoothies."
A closer look
You might be thinking that the reason for this is the high sugar content in the fruit, but this is not actually why Dr Pompa has come down so hard on bananas.
This is actually more to go with how the bananas are produced, with Dr Pompa saying they are 'loaded with fungicide.'
That is part of the agriculture to help keep the bananas free from fungus while they grow.
He said: "They spray it like crazy with a fungicide [and] something called ethylene, which they do to actually start the ripening process, which all end up in the banana, in us."
Beyond the headline
Ethylene is a plant hormone, with hormones being chemicals that living things use to signal their bodies to do something.
While ethylene is used industrially, it also actually occurs naturally in a lot of plants, where according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica it can sometimes tell plants to drop their leaves, or with fruit it signals it to start ripening.
It's not just that either, but he also claimed that there was a sugar called amylose which could be bad for you as well.
He said: "If you have aches, pains, inflammation, arthritis, it can make it worse because of the sugar called amylose."
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Referring to a mould specialist called Dr Richie Shoemaker, he said: "The mould expert used to tell people, "do not ever eat bananas if you have mould toxicity" because of the amylose. It makes it worse and makes you feel worse, not healthy."
I believe this is the most dangerous fruit we can eat.
Putting it in context
Growers judge a harvest on yield; cooks judge it on flavour. Those two measures diverge far more often than most shoppers realise.
At a glance
- A doctor has claimed that a fruit which is commonly eaten by millions could actually be bad for you
- Eating plenty of fruit of veg is generally a good idea, especially getting lots of greens in your diet
- While there might be the saying that 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away', Dr Pompa appears to have claimed that the same is not true of another commonly eaten fruit
- There are of course plenty of fruits out there in the world which might look delicious
- Dr Pompa has some pretty strong opinions about bananas, even saying: "I believe this is the most dangerous fruit we can eat."
What people ask
What should you know about Dr Pompa?
While there might be the saying that 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away', Dr Pompa appears to have claimed that the same is not true of another commonly eaten fruit.
Why does it matter?
Referring to a mould specialist called Dr Richie Shoemaker, he said: "The mould expert used to tell people, "do not ever eat bananas if you have mould toxicity" because of the amylose.
In short
Whether this marks the start of something larger or simply reflects the moment, it is a fair indication of the direction things are heading.