A Banana a day could keep HIV away

According to The Gazette (Montreal), a new study has found that chemicals commonly found in bananas are as good a job in preventing HIV as two synthetic anti-HIV drugs. BanLec, a sugar-binding protein found in several different plants, works by binding to the sugar-rich envelope that encases the HIV virus, thus blocking its entry into the body. BanLec has been of interest to scientists for a long time because of its ability to halt the chain reaction that leads to viral infections. Creating some sort of BanLec ointment or microbicide could prevent millions of new infections in just a few short years.