Bananas are a tropical fruit that is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. They’re a good source of fiber, vitamins C, B-6 and manganese. In 2002, “Observer” science editor Robin McKie, reported that the fruit can soothe heartburn, hangovers and stabilize blood pressure. Add to that their ability to ease muscle cramps, and bananas are seemingly a perfect energy food. If you experience muscle cramps after eating bananas, however, it’s possible you have abnormal potassium levels and should talk to your doctor.
Potassium
Due to their high potassium content, bananas can ease or eliminate muscle cramps. Potassium is a mineral that helps maintain nerve function, conducts electrical impulses and controls smooth muscle contractions. People at risk of a mineral deficiency include athletes and those who sweat a lot, chronic alcoholics and dieters who consume less than 800 calories a day, according to Jennifer Anderson, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension foods and nutrition specialist and professor. If you’re experiencing muscle cramps after eating bananas, it’s possible that you have low potassium levels. You should note, however, that bananas are not responsible for triggering your symptoms. If spasms occur soon after eating bananas, it may be a coincidence. For athletes especially, who tend to eat the fruit after sweating and losing potassium, it’s not unusual to have muscle cramps while replenishing your mineral stores.
Food Sensitivities
If you don’t have low potassium levels and you’re experiencing muscle cramps after eating bananas, but not other potassium rich foods like kiwi, spinach or tomatoes, you may have a food allergy or intolerance. A food allergy is traditionally associated with an immune system response and an intolerance with a digestive response, according to the Mayo Clinic, but there are some exceptions. Woodlands Healing Research Center in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, a family, environmental and preventive medicine practice, says that people with food sensitivities can experience muscle and joint pain and weakness.
Considerations
If you do have a true banana allergy, it’s likely you will have other accompanying symptoms that are more in line with an allergic reaction. Banana allergies typically take two different forms, according to the Institute of Food Research in the United Kingdom. A reaction similar to a pollen allergy can cause mouth and throat itching and inflammation immediately after eating the fruit and for up to about an hour. Bananas can also trigger allergic symptoms similar to those of a latex allergy and is known as the latex-fruit syndrome. Symptoms include abdominal pain, vomiting and rash.
What to Do
To find out for sure if bananas are causing your muscle cramps, you can do a food elimination test in which you stop eating all foods that may trigger your symptoms then gradually reintroduce the suspicious items. If your cramps continue after removing bananas from your diet, you know that the fruit is not responsible for your symptoms. If your pain ceases, talk to your doctor about an allergy or intolerance to the fruit.
References
- “Observer”; We’re All Going Bananas; June 2002
- Woodlands Healing Research Center; Food Allergy; February 2007
- FamilyDoctor.org: Latex Allergy; July 2010
- CFIDS Association of America; Elimination Diet
- MayoClinic.com: Low Potassium (Hypokalemia); April 2011
- Dole; Banana Facts
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; Muscle Cramp; May 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Potassium; May 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Hypokalemia; August 2009
