Do Bananas Cause Heartburn?

Banana Ripeness and Resistant Starch

It’s connected to the fruit’s levels of something called “resistant starch,” which change as the banana ripens. Unripe green bananas have a lot of resistant starch. The human stomach and small intestines have difficulty digesting this type of starch.

As the bananas ripen, the starch breaks down into sugars, so the banana becomes softer and sweeter. The skin gets thinner, too. (Fun fact: Ripening bananas glow blue under UV lights!³)

With less starch and more sugar, ripe bananas are easier for people to digest.

The Banana, A Health Hero

All this doesn’t mean don’t eat yellow bananas if they appeal (sorry, couldn’t resist) to you—or even ones with a bit of green at the ends. But if you experience some stomach upset after eating a banana, its level of ripeness might be a factor.

Just try eating bananas at different stages of ripeness and observe how you feel.

In any case, rest assured that bananas—from barely ripe to very ripe—have great health benefits. Bananas are a great source of these important nutrients:⁴

• Potassium
• Fiber
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin C

Nutrients found in bananas help regulate blood pressure and better control the heart’s activity. Even the banana peel can be put to good use to soothe a mosquito bite.

Ripe Bananas and pH Levels

Here’s another surprise: bananas have properties that can help relieve symptoms of heartburn! It has to do with the fruit’s rating on the pH scale, which can measure how acidic a food is. The higher the pH level, the less acidity a food has.

Ripe bananas are only mildly acidic; they have an approximate pH level of 5 to 5.3.⁵  Eating a banana when it’s ripe—and has a higher pH level—can help offset stomach acid.⁶

Foods and Drinks that Can Cause Heartburn

If bananas aren’t a common cause of heartburn, what foods are? These foods and drinks may increase your risk of experiencing heartburn:⁷

• Spicy foods
• Onions
• Peppermint
• Chocolate
• Citrus fruits
• Fried foods
• Tomato products
• Foods with high fat contents
• Eating too much food at once
• Carbonated drinks
• Caffeinated drinks

If you limit how much you consume these foods and drinks, you may decrease your chances of experiencing heartburn.

Ways to Relieve Heartburn

There are other things you can do to help lessen your heartburn symptoms⁷—even if you’re not the biggest fan of bananas:

• Avoid
  • wearing tight clothes. Wearing tight clothes can put pressure on the lower part of your esophagus.
  • lying down or going to sleep immediately after you eat. Wait at least two or three hours after eating before you lie down. You should also avoid eating right before your bedtime.
  • moking. Smoking can make it harder for the lower part of your esophagus to properly relax and tighten.
  • drinking alcohol. Alcohol can also affect how well the lower part of your esophagus performs its duties.
• Stay at a healthy weight. Excess fat can add pressure to your stomach and push acid up your esophagus.
• Take antacids. Antacids can help offset occasion heartburn (that’s heartburn that occurs less than two times a week). We like TUMs, of course!

Nexium 24HR, available as ClearMinis, Tablets or Capsules, stops acid at the source and provides the most powerful OTC acid control available. Just one pill a day for 14 days gives you 24-hour protection. Use as directed to treat frequent heartburn. Do not take for more than 14 days or more often than every 4 months unless directed by a doctor. Not for immediate relief.

Explore Nexium 24HR products.