IUBio

bananas as beta blocker ?

Christian Holscher CHOLSCHR at TCD.IE
Tue May 21 09:39:25 EST 1996


In article <Hans.Supply-1305960126180001 at dialup18.kortrijk.eunet.be>,
Hans.Supply at ping.be (Hans Supply) wrote:

> In article <Hans.Supply-0605960034380001 at dialup02.kortrijk.eunet.be>,
> Hans.Supply at ping.be (Hans Supply) wrote:
> 
> > Is it possible that bananas function as an active beta-blocker ?  Not as
> > good as medecine, but softly ??
> > 
> > Could that affect the nervous (fear ?) feeling a musician has on stage ??
> > 
> > Are there any other fruits or vegetables that have similar capacities ??
> > 
> > Hans,
> 



Bananas are known to be rich in tryptophane, a precursor for serotonin.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in many mental
processes, such as depression. E.g. tricyclic antidepressiva act on the
serotonergic pathway. Another drug that is used to 'soothe' troubled minds
is Prozac, which has effects on serotonin re-uptake. Maybe that can
explain your experiences with bananas.

 Christian

-- 
Christian Holscher, PhD
Trinity College Dublin
Dept. Pharmacol. & Therapeutics



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