What happened was that I had never been fond of bananas to begin with. I think they have a really weird texture and are naturally so sweet it's slightly worrisome. However what triggered my strong dislike for these fruits was that I was forced to eat them on a daily basis.
According to Dr. Oz bananas are believed to help fight cancer. This original speculation erupted from Japanese scientists Haruyo Iwasawa and Masatoshi Yamazaki. From here came the claim that a substance called TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) which destroys cancerous tumors, can be found in ripe bananas.
Skeptical Raptor states that bananas do not make TNF, in fact the scientists never stated they did. This misinformation came from various uncited facebook memes.
The problem is that the internet lies. The author supports his evidence with science. He explains that "...bananas do not produce TNF. It is simply an evolutionary impossibility, unless through some amazing instance of evolutionary convergence, the banana plant evolved the ability to produce the TNF molecule for a completely different purpose for the banana plant. This would violate several principles of evolution, since there are reasons why the TNF molecule evolved in mammals and not in plants."
This brings us to the conclusion that it's impossible for plants to make the TNF molecule, only mammals are capable of this.
Whatever the case may be, whether bananas prevent cancer or not, is an idea yet to be fully experimented on. I on the other hand. am not taking any risks. I refuse to eat bananas and as for their claimed cancer fighting properties I might be able to acquire those from other fruits such as grapes or strawberries.
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| Uncited banana meme which may or may not be true |
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| May or may not be true. We just don't know. |
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| More uncited memes |
The way you handled disproving the claim that bananas prevent cancer was great. I will have to say that I love eating bananas myself. They are full of nutrients that are vital to runners and I actually like the texture. You don't need to remove bananas from your diet completely. Try blending it into a smoothie or rewarding yourself with a banana split!
ReplyDeleteI like how you included a personal example of how you had to eat a banana everyday before going to school. I myself feel neutrally towards bananas, but if I had to eat one everyday on a daily basis for four years, I would go nuts. I also liked how you researched about the matter whether or not bananas help with cancer, as you cleared up the matter about bananas and how they indeed do not produce TNF.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post a lot more than I thought I would. It made me laugh a little on how you went out of your way to make bananas seem innutritious to humans. I mean, yeah if bananas had the power to prevent cancer then the world would be a better place. Bananas are still healthy and full of vitamins though, so you shouldn't fully give up on them.(:
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I fully agree with you that bananas are gross. To me, they are the absolute scum of the earth. I found it enjoyable to read your personal experience dealing with bananas.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, my favorite part was how the post was written in passive-aggressive tones, which gave it an overall feeling of being somewhat of a persuasive essay against bananas.
Your pure hatred for bananas fueled you to make this post debunking a positive myth about bananas, making it all the more interesting to read.
I also agree that bananas themselves are, in essence, disgusting. In the past, I've really tried to enjoy them, but I could never really begin to enjoy them. I do, however, like those sweet banana chips or banana cakes.
ReplyDeleteIt's cool when people, such as yourself, relate personal experiences to their topics and posts. Being forced to eat a banana every morning for four years must have been a challenge. I liked how you gave us an insight into some facts and history surrounding the banana. Also, nice job choosing alternative fruits instead of the banana rather than giving up on the consumption of such necessities altogether. I know I can rarely stand eating fruits alone.
I definitely avoid ripe bananas, so I wouldn't gain the cancer benefit anyway. But I love bananas at the right stage; filling and a nice dose of Potassium.
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