Causes Of Heart Burn
By Animol Bonny

The various causes of frequent heartburn

Heartburn is caused when acidic juices in stomach reflex back into the esophagus resulting in a burning like sensation in the stomach. The causes for this acid reflex will be different for person to person. Identifying the causes will help each one to prevent the attack of heartburn. Food, eating late and overeating are considered to be the prominent causes for heartburn. So giving more attention to these factors will help a lot in preventing heartburn. Below is a list of food items that can trigger heartburn.

1.Coffee and other drinks contain caffeine- Caffeine can relax the lower

Esophageal sphincter causing acid to jump into the esophagus

2. Chocolate - chocolate contains a substance called Theo bromine which can also relax the lower esophageal sphincter 3. Fried and fatty food- Fatty food generally stay in stomach for long time since it’s hard to digest. This can put more pressure on the stomach which will in turn helps the acid to flow into esophagus. 4. Tomatoes and tomato based products- These contains acids and it will make acid content in stomach greater 5. Citrus food like orange and lemon—citric acid content in these foods will add the amount of acid in the stomach to a greater level. 6. Alcohol- Alcohol relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter.

Apart from food, the other factors that causes heartburn come under the lifestyle category. Large meals – Eating stomach full will certainly trigger heartburn. This is because a full stomach can put extra pressure on lower esophageal sphincter.

Late eating- eating late and going to bed within 2-3 hors will cause heartburn. Lying down with full stomach will increases the chances for stomach juices to push into the esophagus. So give time for food to digest before going to bed Wearing tight fit clothes- Clothes that tighten the abdomen squeeze the stomach causing food to come into the esophagus. Over weight- When people are overweight, the stomach gets pressed and it will ease the flow of acid to the esophagus

Smoking- Smoking has proved to be a definite cause of heartburn. The nicotine content in tobacco has the power to relax the lower esophageal sphincter.

Medication- certain medicines prescribed for other diseases like blood pressure, diabetes etc.contains substances that can relax esophageal sphincter. So people who are continuously using such medicines have a greater chance of getting heartburn.

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