Abstract
PURPOSE: One banana (BAN) contains about 27 gm carbohydrate (half as sugars), is a good source of potassium and antioxidants, and has a low-to-medium glycemic index. The purpose of this project was to compare the effect of ingesting BAN versus a 6% carbohydrate sports drink (CHO) on performance and exercise-induced inflammation in cyclists. Design: In this randomized, crossover study, 14 trained cyclists (age 37±1.9 y, Wattsmax 379±12.5) completed two 75-km cycling time trials (3 weeks apart) while ingesting BAN or CHO. Subjects provided blood samples, ingested 0.4 gm/kg carbohydrate from BAN or CHO, and then cycled on CompuTrainers (RacerMate Inc., Seattle, WA) for 75-km at the fastest pace possible. During the cycling bouts, subjects ingested 0.2 gm/kg carbohydrate from BAN or CHO every 15 min. Blood samples were taken immediately following and 1-h post-exercise, and analyzed for blood lactate and glucose, total blood leukocytes (WBC), and nine inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNFα, GM-CSF, IFNγ, IL-1B, IL-2, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70) using an electrochemiluminescence based solid-phase sandwich immunoassay (Meso Scale Discovery, Gaithersburg, MD, USA). RESULTS: 75-km cycling performance did not differ between BAN and CHO trials (2.41±0.06 and 2.36±0.05 h, respectively, P=0.258), and blood glucose and lactate did not differ during or after exercise (interaction effects, P=0.439 and 0.849, respectively). Exercise caused significant increases in WBCs, IL-10, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα, with significantly higher post-exercise levels during BAN for IL-10 (84%) and IL-8 (50%) (interaction effects, P=0.003 and 0.004, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Ingestion of bananas during a 75-km cycling trial supported performance in a similar fashion to a 6% sports drink when carbohydrate intake was equated. Post-exercise elevations in several cytokines were similar between BAN and CHO trials, with significantly higher levels attained during BAN for the anti-inflammatory IL-10 cytokine and chemoattractant IL-8 chemokine. Supported by a grant from Dole Foods, Inc.
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