Banana glycemic index (GI)

by Zvart Movsisyan | Last updated on October 31, 2023

Medically reviewed by Ani Harutyunyan

By investigating scientific studies, we found different values for bananas’ Glycemic Index (GI). Let’s discuss the most trustworthy ones.

According to the GI data of Harvard Medical School, banana has a low GI of 51 ± 3 (1).

One study found that factors such as size, texture, viscosity (internal friction or ‘thickness’), and ripeness of a food affect its GI. For instance, although both ripe and unripe bananas have a low GI (less than 55), an unripe banana may have a GI of 30, while a ripe banana has a GI of 51 (2).

In The International Table of Glycemic Index Values, over ten different GI values, falling in the range of 30 to 75, are published for bananas, with the mean values listed underneath the data. Besides, we can notice from the table that some values fall in the low, medium, or even high GI category. These inconsistencies are caused by reasons such as methodological factors, varieties, different test methods of different laboratories, etc. (3).

Banana glycemic index may vary depending on its starch and amylopectin content too. A study comparing three different banana plants shows that the lowest GI belongs to the species that contain the lowest amounts of starch and amylopectin (5).

Another research compared different varieties of bananas (4). This research shows significantly higher GI values for bananas overall, with the highest being the Njalipoovan banana and none having a low GI value.

Banana Glycemic index various sorts