SATURDAY, Nov. 8, 2025 (HealthDay News) — If a healthy slurp is your aim, skip the banana when you whip up a smoothie.

Researchers at the University of California-Davis found that adding banana may interfere with absorption of powerful compounds called flavanols, which are linked to brain and heart health.

"We were really surprised to see how quickly adding a single banana decreased the level of flavanols in the smoothie and the levels of flavanol absorbed in the body," lead author Javier Ottaviani said in a news release. He’s an adjunct researcher at UC-Davis and director of the Core Laboratory at Mars Edge, part of Mars Inc.

Flavanols — which are found in such foods as apples, berries, cocoa and grapes — are natural compounds that help support memory, reduce inflammation and improv

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