A simple fruit that many of us eat every day could soon prove to be a powerful new inhibitor of HIV and lead to new treatments to prevent sexual transmission of the virus.

Bananas, according to new research at the University of Michigan Medical School, might be good for you in an exciting new way.

Lectins, naturally occurring chemicals in plants, are drawing the interest of scientists because they can stop the chain reactions that lead to a variety of infections.

In laboratory tests, BanLec, the lectin found in bananas, was as effective as two current anti-HIV drugs, according to a news release from the school.

Based on the findings, to be published March 19 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, BanLec may become a less expensive new component of applied vaginal microbicides, researchers say.

"The explosion of AIDS in poorer countries continues to be a bad problem because of tremendous human suffering and the cost of treating it," said study senior author David Markovitz, MD, professor of internal medicine at the school.

"That's particularly true in developing countries where women have little control over sexual encounters, so development of a long-lasting, self-applied microbicide is very attractive," Markovitz said in a release.

Some of the most promising compounds to inhibit vaginal and rectal HIV transmission are agents that block HIV prior to integration into its target cell, researchers say.

Authors say even modest success could save millions of lives. There were at least 65,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Canada in 2008, according to statistics from the Canadian Aids Society.