Bananas are slightly radioactive because they contain potassium and potassium decays. Potassium is a necessary substance for healthy operation of your body. You would have to eat a LOT of bananas just to compete with the natural potassium dose of your body.
Other 'radioactive' potassium-rich foods include spinach, white beans, apricots, salmon, avocados, mushrooms, and yogurt.
No one ever developed radiation sickness from eating bananas.
RESEARCH
- Yes, you will certainly die from radiation poisoning if you are able to eat 10,000,000 bananas at once. You may also witness chronic symptoms if you eat 274 bananas a day for seven years.
- Your entire body is made of a lot cells, which are made of a lot of organic molecules, the framework of each of which is made of a lot of carbon. A carbon atom (generally speaking) is found to possess either 12 particles in its nucleus, or 14. Atoms with 12 particles in the nucleus (called C-12) are normal and much more abundant. Those with 14 (called C-14) are radioactive and much less common, but present in some small concentration in any natural carbon sample, including your own body.
- Now, in relevance to the question, banana has potassium atoms of three kinds: K-39, K-40, and K-41; 39 and 41 are not radioactive. K-40 atoms are those you are interested in. 100 grams of banana have 0.328 grams of potassium, of which 0.012 per cent is K-40. Which is to say 100 grams of banana gives you 0.00003936 grams of K-40.
- Now, the 0.00003936 grams of K-40 that you did get has a half life of 1.25 billion years, compared to the 5,715-year half life of the C-14 inside you
So you are much, much more radioactive than 100 grams of bananas.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF BANANA
- Bananas are respectable sources of vitamin C
- Manganese in bananas is good for your skin
- Potassium in bananas is good for your heart health and blood pressure
- Bananas can aid digestion and help beat gastrointestinal issues
- Bananas give you energy – minus the fats and cholesterol
- Bananas are one of the best fruit sources of vitamin B6
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