Antidiabetic Potential of Bananas (Musa spp.): A Systematic Review of Bioactive Compounds and Antihyperglycemic Activities

• Published in: Current nutrition reports Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 38
• Main Authors: Kwok, Jessiree Jie Ning, Chen, Michelle Kaixuan, Ong, Chi Wei, Chen, Lin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 26.02.2025
• Subjects: advanced glycation end products; alpha-amylase; alpha-Amylases - antagonists & inhibitors; Animals; bananas; blood glucose; Blood Glucose - drug effects; Cardiology; chronic diseases; Clinical Nutrition; cost effectiveness; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus - drug therapy; flavonoids; Fruit - chemistry; fruits; glucose; glycemic effect; glycogen; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; liver; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; meta-analysis; Musa; Musa - chemistry; nutritive value; Oncology; pandemic; Phytochemicals - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; rats; Review; saponins; South East Asia; species; sterols; sucrose alpha-glucosidase; systematic review; Topical Collection on Diabetes and Obesity; South East Asia; Musa; Medicinal; Bioactive; Antidiabetic; Antihyperglycemic
• ISSN: 2161-3311; 2161-3311
• DOI: 10.1007/s13668-025-00629-0

Purpose of Review Bananas ( Musa spp. ), a staple fruit crop in Southeast Asia, are widely recognised for their nutritional value and potential medicinal properties, including the management of diabetes. To address the diabetes pandemic, various studies have explored the efficacy of many natural foods in reducing blood glucose, preventing complications that arise from the chronic illness. However, a comprehensive overview of bioactive compounds and their antidiabetic effects across different banana species in recent years is lacking. This review provides a comprehensive overview of bioactive compounds in various parts of the bananas that have demonstrated antihyperglycemic activities. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we conducted a thorough literature search using ScienceDirect, Scopus, and PubMed databases, resulting in the inclusion of 27 relevant articles. Recent Findings Emerging evidence suggests that different parts of the banana plant contain various bioactive compounds with antihyperglycemic activities, offering promising benefits for diabetes management. Summary The findings reveal that the antihyperglycemic effects of bananas can be attributed to specific bioactive compounds, such as phenols, saponins, alkaloids, sterols, and flavonoids, through mechanisms like inhibition of α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, α-amylase and sucrase enzymes, glucose uptake assay, and inhibition of formation of advanced glycation end-products. Liver glycogen content and fasting blood glucose in rat models, along with HbA1c measurements in human subjects, were also assessed to evaluate invivo antidiabetic activity, which has yielded positive outcomes. The results support the potential medicinal and pharmaceutical benefits of bananas in clinical diabetes management and suggest that incorporating banana-derived compounds could enhance the cost-effectiveness of antidiabetic treatments.