Fact Check: Can eating bananas help quit smoking?

Claim: An Instagram post claims that eating bananas can help quit smoking. It claims that eating two bananas daily can help quit smoking. The post has over 5,000 likes. The link to the post is here.

 Fact Check: The claim is misleading. 

What is smoking?

Smoking involves inhaling the smoke of burning tobacco in cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, a highly addictive chemical that stimulates the central nervous system.

Incidence of tobacco smoking:

Tobacco kills up to half of its users who don’t quit (1). Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year, including an estimated 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke (2). Around 80% of the world's 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries. In 2020, 22.3% of the world’s population used tobacco: 36.7% of men and 7.8% of women. (7) 

Why is tobacco smoking addictive?

Nicotine is a drug that occurs naturally in tobacco. Nicotine, absorbed through the lungs into the blood, swiftly spreads throughout the body, influencing the brain and central nervous system. It stimulates dopamine release, enhances mood, and provides a mild adrenaline rush, which increases heart rate and blood pressure. The pleasurable effects of nicotine are short-lived, fading within minutes, leading users to feel edgy and irritated, prompting them to use tobacco again to alleviate discomfort. This cycle of brief relief followed by discomfort encourages continued use and increases tolerance, requiring users to consume more tobacco to achieve the same effects. Over time, users become physically and emotionally dependent on nicotine, experiencing withdrawal symptoms like irritability, nervousness, headaches, and sleep disturbances when they try to quit. Despite awareness of the negative health impacts, the addictive nature of nicotine makes quitting challenging for many smokers. (3)

Smoking cessation refers to the process of quitting smoking. Smoking cessation lowers the risk of cancer and other serious health problems. Counselling, behaviour therapy, medicines, and nicotine-containing products, such as nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers, and nasal sprays, may be used to help a person quit smoking. (4)

Nutritional value of Bananas:

Banana, a tropical fruit with high calories, provides nutrition in different forms. Potassium, an important cell and body fluids component, supports muscles and nerves. It controls heartbeat and blood pressure. It also counters the bad effects of sodium. Further, it lowers triglyceride. It is a triglyceride which causes the accumulation of harmful cholesterol. It is a very good source of antioxidants, vitamin C and vitamin B6, in addition to manganese and other minerals. Magnesium is essential for strong bones and is protective in cardiac function. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells. (5)

Can bananas help you quit smoking?

Although bananas may aid smoking cessation, no direct scientific evidence links banana consumption to smoking cessation.

In a market survey on bananas, Chennakrishnan wrote that bananas may aid in smoking cessation by replenishing the body with essential nutrients like vitamins C, A1, B6, and B12 and minerals such as potassium and magnesium. These nutrients help mitigate the effects of nicotine withdrawal, potentially easing the quitting process. (6)

Lal et al. reported that bananas help supply required vitamins and minerals to smokers trying to quit smoking. The craving for nicotine is reduced by the consumption of bananas. (7) Another study published in the International Journal of Biology Research mentions that the craving for nicotine is reduced by the consumption of bananas as they provide the required vitamins and minerals to smokers who want to quit smoking. (5)

Responding to the claim, Dr Meenakshi Jain, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, said, More than 267 million adults in India are tobacco users. They face multiple physical and mental health issues like COPD, heart attacks, lung cancer, oral cancer, depression, anxiety, etc. Beyond morbidity, tobacco use can also result in death. According to the WHO regional office for South East Asia WHO Face Sheet 2018, more than 1 million adults die each year in India due to tobacco use.

More than half of smokers wish to stop smoking at least once in their lifetime. But often, due to lack of knowledge, withdrawal symptoms, or lack of support, I find it difficult to quit. The most common method often employed to stop smoking involves NRT. Those who do not wish to take NRT for smoking cessation can utilize multiple techniques and nonpharmacological methods.

1) Find a personalized reason /motivation to quit smoking: Those who wish to quit smoking should make a list of various advantages of quitting, such as improved physical health, reduced risk of physical illness, improved mental health, financial gain, improved cognition leading to better work performance, etc.

2) Understand the reason why it is difficult to quit smoking: People often become addicted to tobacco primarily due to three reasons: Physical dependence: quitting tobacco can lead to withdrawal symptoms such as mood swings, irritability, sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms, constipation and anxiety, making it difficult to quit.

Psychological dependence: tobacco users often use tobacco as a means to handle stress and reduce or hide unpleasant emotions.

Conditioning: smoking is often associated with the environment or social cues, such as right before breakfast in the morning to freshen up.

3) Set a quit date: Set a quit day, preferably within two weeks and, if possible, on a significant date such as a birthday /anniversary. Do not to set a quit date during an anticipated high-stress time

Nicotine fading technique: progressively lower the number of cigarettes per day to the lowest possible level just before the quit day.

Cold turkey method: giving up smoking all of a sudden on quit day.

4) Steps to follow on the quit date: Throw away all the nicotine /tobacco products on the night before the quit date. Ensure total abstinence on quit day

5) Overcome psychological dependence/ conditioning: Identify the triggers and conditions such as smoking after meals, smoking at any particular time, stress etc and work to create coping skills. Such as meditation and deep breathing exercises to deal with stress, distraction techniques to avoid cues, drinking two glasses of water or sucking on hard candy during craving.

6) Anticipate triggers and challenges during the quitting process: Imagine situations that might lead to relapse and practice coping responses to feelings, places, and social situations.

7) Avoid alcohol: Drinking alcohol is the most common cause of relapse as it leads to impaired judgment and willpower. Thus, alcohol should be avoided during the quitting process.

8) Find support: Ensure you find support during the quitting process. One can utilize multiple support systems, such family and friends, visiting support groups /meetings, online smoking cessation groups, counselling services, etc

9) Withdrawal symptoms: Visit a mental health professional for required medications and support for withdrawal symptoms.

9) Five D's for handling urges:

· Delay until the urge passes, usually within 3-5 minutes

· Distract yourself

· Drink water to fight urges

· Deep breath - close your eyes and take ten slow, deep breaths

· Discuss your feelings with someone close to you.

10) Counselling and therapy: Behaviour therapy and motivation enhancement therapy often play a significant role in successful smoking cessation.

11) Manage failure: Remember it is okay to fail. Stay positive. Learn from the failed attempt, and make a new plan and try again.

Dr Neatu Naranag, Professor and Senior Consultant at Amrita Hospital Faridabad,, added, “ While bananas themselves may not directly help in quitting smoking, incorporating healthy habits like eating fruits such as bananas can be part of a holistic approach.

A. Control of Craving for Smoking: Bananas can be a good snack option to curb cravings and provide essential nutrients to your body as you work on quitting smoking.

B. Stress relief: Quitting smoking can be stressful, and bananas contain nutrients like magnesium and vitamin B6 that can help relax your muscles and calm your mind, potentially reducing stress levels.

C. Increased energy: Smoking can deplete your energy levels, but bananas are a great source of natural sugars and carbohydrates that can provide a quick energy boost when you're tired or fatigued during the quitting process.

Finally, adding bananas to your diet as a healthy snack option can be a small but helpful part of a comprehensive plan to quit smoking. It’s important to appreciate that everyone's journey is different, so it's important to find what works best for you in your efforts to quit smoking."

Medical Dialogues Final Take:

References:

1. Doll R, Peto R, Boreham J, Sutherland I. Mortality in relation to smoking: 50 years' observations on male British doctors. BMJ. 2004 Jun 26;328(7455):1519.

2. Global Burden of Disease [database.Washington, DC: Institute of Health Metrics; 2019. IHME, accessed 17 July 2023

3.https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/tobacco/why-people-start-using-tobacco.html.

4.https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/smoking-cessation.

5. Rajesh, N. (2017). Medicinal benefits of Musa paradisiaca (Banana). International Journal of Biology Research, 2(2), 51-54.

6. Chennakrishnan, P. (2011). Banana: Go Organic. Bus Econ-Facts for You, 31, 9-15.

7. Lal, N., Sahu, N., Shuirkar, G., Jayswal, D. K., & Chack, S. (2017). Banana: Awesome fruit crop for society.

8. World Health Organization. "Tobacco." World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco#:~:text=Around%2080%25%20of%20the%201.3,food%20and%20shelter%20to%20tobacco.