ABSTRACT
The chemical composition of pulp and peel of banana fruits is rich in polyphenol compounds and resistant starch, supporting numerous protective properties against several chronical diseases, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two intestinal inflammatory process that compose the human inflammatory bowel disease. This chapter reported the ability of banana products to modulate the immune response, oxidative stress, and intestinal microbiota, promoting protective effects on the intestinal inflammatory process. Indeed, we also reported that chemical composition of banana based on glycosylated polyphenols and resistant starch are closely related to their health benefits on the gut, which occurs by different mechanisms, particularly increasing epithelial barriers function, modulating intestinal microbiota, incrementing short-chain fatty acids production and upregulating the immune response.
