The reason why the stomach hurts when you eat bananas

Possible causes of stomach discomfort occurring after consumption include irritable bowel syndrome, banana allergy, or fructose intolerance. They are usually recommended to treat nausea. They stimulate mucus production from stomach lining, which acts as a barrier to acidic substances that may cause nausea. Bananas are also used to replenish potassium and other essential nutrients, lost due to vomiting or diarrhea. Despite being easy to digest, many have gastrointestinal symptoms when eating bananas. What happens if your stomach hurts when you eat bananas, bubbles and gases Bananas are a key component of the Brat diet (bananas, rice, apple sauce and toast), which is a very mild diet that pediatricians once recommended for children with stomach disorders. Although bananas are generally well tolerated, some show bloating and gases after consuming them. A reason why one can feel uncomfortable after consuming bananas is due to their content in soluble fibers. The soluble fibers dissolve in water and are more easily fermented in the colon than insoluble fibers. This can lead to gases and bubbles in some people. Bananas also contain sorbitol. Sorbitol is a natural sugar that acts as a laxative and can cause gases, bloating and diarrhea when consumed in large quantities. Bananas and irritable bowel syndrome Bananas are a common food that causes problems for people with irritable bowel syndrome. This is because, when bananas break into the stomach, they can cause too much gas. Bananas also have a high fructose content (a kind of simple sugar), especially when they are overripe. Many people who have irritable bowel syndrome are advised to avoid bananas because they may cause many of the same side effects as untold lactose (milk sugar). In fact, mature bananas are considered rich in FODMAPs (fermented oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols). If you follow a low FODMAP diet to manage irritable bowel syndrome, you may want to avoid them or limit them. However, unripe bananas are considered food with low FODMAP. Allergy in bananas Banana allergies are rare and affect less than 1.2% of people worldwide. Many with banana allergy are also allergic to pollen, or latex, because they share similar protein structures. A person with banana allergy may experience wheezing, throat stenosis, or urticaria within minutes of eating the fruit. They may also experience nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. Banana and fructose intolerance A person who is intolerant to fructose has difficulty absorbing fructose. People with this intolerance should limit fructose to their diet. Frauctose malabsorption occurs when the body cannot assimilate or absorb fructose in the way it should. This causes gas bubbles and abdominal discomfort. The hereditary intolerance to fructose is very rare. It happens when the liver cannot help the body break down the fructose. This condition often causes more severe symptoms and requires additional treatment in addition to removing fructose from nutrition. Most can tolerate small amounts of fructose found in fruits such as bananas. They often have greater difficulty to tolerate large amounts of fructose found in honey and corn syrup with a high fructose content. How to prevent symptoms of stomach problems from bananas If you feel gas, bloating, or abdominal discomfort after banana consumption, consider limiting the size of the portion. For example, instead of eating one or more bananas a day, start eating half a banana to see if your symptoms are resolved. Alternatively, if you think you have fructose malabsorption, you can also try to temporarily remove foods with a high fructose content, including bananas from your diet. Once you start feeling better, you can slowly add foods containing fructose. This can help you to identify the foods that cause the problem. If you eat bananas that are very green or unripe, you may also feel stomach discomfort. Unripe bananas contain high amounts of durable starch, which, in large quantities, can cause mild symptoms such as gases and bubbles. However, the resistant starch is slowly fermented, so it usually does not cause as much gas as other types of fiber. Mature, or cooked bananas have less starch and more simple sugars, which makes them easier to digest. Consumption of more water and the gradual increase in fiber intake may also reduce side effects in the gastrointestinal system. Source: