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A study published in 2012 found that competitive cyclists performed better on long rides if they consumed either a banana (plus water) or a sports drink, compared to water alone. Now a follow-up study, recently published in the journal PLOS One, concluded that bananas are even better than sports drinks at helping these athletes recover from extreme exertion.
Twenty cyclists rode in 75-kilometer time trials while ingesting a set amount of carbohydrates from either bananas or a six percent sugar beverage every 15 minutes. Ingesting carbohydrates from either source reduced inflammation compared to water alone, and improved the rate of metabolic recovery from this intense and prolonged exercise. However, bananas appeared to have added metabolic benefits above the impact of the sports drink alone.
While this study did not test whether other fruits would work as well, it does lend support to the idea that components of whole foods interact to provide the best health benefits in the body.