A few years ago, a craze of natto (sticky, smelly fermented soybeans) diet also swept Japan. A TV program presented evidences of the effect on weight loss and led to a huge boom of natto diet. The fad resulted in a nationwide natto shortage, but later it was revealed that the program had used fake experimental results about the potential of natto.
Similar to the case of natto, some broadcast TV programs presented an effect of bananas on weight loss and caused a craze for banana diet.
In the TV programs, a scientist claimed that bananas have many benefits as follows: i) bananas are rich in carbohydrases (mostly amylases), which help one enhance the body metabolism and burn the body fat; ii) bananas have a strong antioxidative effect, which activates cells and improves cell metabolism; iii) bananas are rich in dietary fiber, which promotes bowel movements.
He says that enzymes in the body are defficient in the morning and one needs to supply them from fruits.
However, I do not agree with the claim. One cannot supply enzymes from food. First, amylases may be inactivated in stomach by gastric acid; second, no enzyme can be absorbed into body remaining the activity. I do not know whether bananas serve as a dieting food or not, but I cannot miss such a pseudoscience as a scientist.
The official site for banana diet is here.
The recipe for the banana diet is quite easy--you have to consume only bananas and water for breakfast.
"I was on a diet for a month and lost 30 bananas."
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