Many people claim that peanuts can nourish the stomach, but this is not actually true. When you have an upset stomach, eating peanuts only serves to neutralize excess gastric acid secretion.
The belief that peanuts benefit the stomach mostly originates from traditional Chinese medicine, which holds that peanuts can "soothe the spleen, harmonize the stomach, nourish the body and regulate qi". However, a clinical follow-up observation on the consumption of raw peanuts for chronic gastropathy shows that the folk remedy of "eating raw peanuts to treat chronic stomach diseases" is unreliable. Raw peanuts cannot cure chronic stomach disorders (such as relieving symptoms including bloating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loose stools, poor appetite and dull upper abdominal pain), and only produce noticeable relief or complete elimination of acid regurgitation and belching in patients suffering from these two symptoms.
Acid regurgitation and belching are caused by excessive gastric acid secreted by the gastric mucosa. The general mechanisms behind why peanuts alleviate these symptoms are as follows:
① Peanuts are rich in protein and fat. Moderate amounts of protein neutralize gastric acid, while appropriate fat stimulates the small intestinal mucosa to secrete enterogastrone, which inhibits gastric acid secretion.
② Peanuts contain abundant phospholipids. Phospholipids act on the mucus covering acid-secreting mucosa, exerting emulsifying and lubricating effects and providing mild protection for the gastric lining.
③ Furthermore, peanuts and other low-moisture foods are more suitable for people with thin, over-secreted gastric juice. Such individuals tend to experience diluted gastric juice and subsequent acid regurgitation and belching after drinking soups or water. In contrast, people with thick, low-volume gastric juice usually prefer drinking soups and liquids.
In conclusion, although peanuts cannot cure stomach diseases, they can ease acid regurgitation and belching for people with excessive gastric acid secretion.