article · Nutrition Journal
Raw banana flour contains dietary fibres, resistant starch, and bioactive nutrients that support human health. A pilot clinical trial evaluated the health effects of consuming muffins formulated with raw banana flour on individuals with hypertension. Thirty-four hypertensive participants were divided into three groups following identical base diets while consuming either standard muffins, muffins made with thirty-five percent raw banana flour, or muffins with forty percent raw banana flour over ten weeks. Participants receiving the banana flour formulations achieved significant decreases in body weight, body mass index, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Improvements were also documented in liver enzymes, such as alanine aminotransferase, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The forty percent raw banana flour formulation produced more pronounced benefits across all measured parameters than the lower concentration.
High blood pressure and elevated cholesterol present major risks for cardiovascular disease that often require supportive lifestyle and dietary strategies. Demonstrating that commonly consumed foods like muffins can be reformulated using raw banana flour provides an accessible, non-pharmacological option for helping patients manage their blood pressure, weight, and lipid profiles through ordinary dietary habits.
This work points towards applications in the functional food and commercial baking sectors, targeting consumers seeking dietary support for hypertension and weight control. The concept is in an applied and tested pilot phase, having demonstrated efficacy in a ten-week human trial with thirty-four participants. It remains an early-stage intervention that requires further testing to assess long-term cardiometabolic safety and efficacy before market adoption.
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Fruits, especially bananas and their products, play a vital role in enhancing human health due to their abundance of bioactive compounds, fibers, resistant starch, and essential nutrients. This pilot study uniquely evaluated whether consuming muffins containing 35% or 40% raw banana flour (RBF) could beneficially affect blood pressure in individuals with hypertension. This study was performed among 34 patients with hypertension in a private hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. In this pilot study, patients received RBF-enriched muffins for 10 weeks. Participants were assigned to three groups: control (T0, n = 10), 35% raw banana flour (RBF) muffin group (T1, n = 12), and 40% RBF muffin group (T2, n = 12). All groups followed the same diet and lifestyle for 10 weeks, during which intervention groups received RBF-enriched muffins. Pre- and post-intervention measurements of anthropometric, lipid profile, and liver enzyme parameters were recorded. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results of this study showed that body weight decreased from 82.10 ± 0.34 kg to 80.22 ± 0.45 kg in T 1 ( p = 0.032) and from 81.85 ± 0.21 kg to 79.24 ± 0.23 kg in T 2 ( p = 0.018), while BMI reduced from 29.70 ± 0.11 to 29.10 ± 0.75 kg/m 2 ( p = 0.041) in T 1 and from 29.01 ± 0.84 to 27.43 ± 0.34 kg/m 2 ( p = 0.027) in T 2 . Systolic blood pressure dropped from 139.80 to 138.29 mmHg ( p = 0.030) in T 1 and from 139.10 to 129.60 mmHg ( p = 0.014) in T 2 , while diastolic pressure declined significantly as well. Improvements in liver enzymes and lipid profiles were also observed: ALT decreased from 44.2 to 39.5 U/L ( p = 0.031) in T 1 , and LDL cholesterol dropped from 147.3 to 126.9 mg/dL ( p = 0.017) in T 2 . These findings suggest that 40% RBF muffin intervention (T2) produced more pronounced improvements in anthropometric, hepatic, and lipid parameters compared to the 35% RBF group (T1). Further studies are recommended to evaluate long-term cardiometabolic effects of RBF-enriched bakery products.
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DOI: 10.1186/s12937-026-01382-y
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