People usually think that bananas have laxative effect, and friends who have constipation often use bananas to improve their symptoms. However, some people obviously eat bananas, but the constipation is not relieved, or some people eat bananas, but caused constipation. Does banana have a laxative effect or not? Bananas are rich in dietary fiber and sugar, which indeed have a good laxative function, and bananas are rich in potassium ions to promote the role of gastrointestinal tract peristalsis, so it also achieves the role of laxative. However, why some people eat bananas but aggravate constipation it, because they eat for the ripe bananas. The banana unripe contains a large amount of ellagic acid, formally this component does not promote intestinal peristalsis, but rather aggravate the symptoms of constipation. Ellagic acid is a widespread component in plants, and the astringent taste in unripe bananas is the result of ellagic acid. Because tannic acid will combine with the protein in the food to produce a lumpy, not easily digested and absorbed tannins, thus aggravating constipation. Similarly, raw persimmons and hawthorn fruits contain a large amount of tannic acid, which can cause the formation of indigestible food masses when consumed in large quantities, and at the same time aggravate constipation. Therefore, eating ripe bananas can play a laxative function. Don’t just focus on bananas, in fact, bananas really have the ingredients to promote intestinal peristalsis is dietary fiber, so you don’t have to get hung up on whether the banana is ripe or naturally ripe, in addition to bananas, there are many foods that can play a laxative role, as long as the dietary fiber-rich fruits and vegetables can promote intestinal peristalsis. Patients with severe constipation can take oral laxatives under the guidance of a doctor to improve constipation, but do not buy your own stimulant laxatives to eat, long-term use of such immediate laxatives may even aggravate constipation or become dependent on them. Click on the link to see why “laxatives” should not be used indiscriminately. Incidentally, I would like to suggest to improve the life of constipation: 1, eat more dregs food, replenish enough water Fiber is an important factor in the formation of feces and promote defecation, fiber can stimulate the intestinal tract to accelerate peristalsis, can increase the water in the fecal mass, so that the fecal group volume to expand, stimulate intestinal peristalsis, so that the bowel movement is smooth. Therefore, food should not eat too fine, to ensure that fiber accounts for 30-50% of the volume of food, but at the same time, also have to drink enough water, dietary fiber to play the role of intestinal laxative, or fiber “block intestine”, will make constipation more serious. 2, exercise exercise can stimulate intestinal peristalsis, the hospital after gastrointestinal surgery patients are encouraged to get out of bed as soon as possible, the purpose is to promote intestinal motility recovery. The way of exercise is not limited to walking, jogging, gymnastics, varying from person to person, in short, to ensure a certain amount of physical activity. 3, good defecation habits to develop good bowel habits, such as morning defecation, avoid defecation while playing cell phones and reading newspapers. In addition, don’t hold back your bowel movement, if you deliberately hold it back when it comes, this will also lead to the fading of the bowel movement in the long run and cause functional constipation, so people who are prone to constipation should pay attention to avoid holding back the bowel movement. People are born with two defecation “natural time”: one is the morning wake up “rise reflex”; the other is after eating “stomach – colon reflex”. When you get up in the morning, from lying to sitting to standing, the intestinal peristalsis will increase, and the intestines will produce a huge peristaltic wave, helping you to push out the stool. After breakfast, the gastrocolic reflex is obvious (the stomach informs the colon to move quickly), creating another “time of day” for defecation. Therefore, awakening the natural bowel reflex is twice as effective in improving constipation.