Alcohol Cause Heartburn By Producing Excess Acid

It is well known that alcohol causes heartburn and the after effects are always less than pleasant. So, if you want to live a healthy life it is better for you to avoid consuming alcohol in quantities that will make your heartburn problem turn more serious. Of course, when you consume alcohol in moderation there is no harm and it is only when you cross the limits that your troubles will begin.

Relaxes The LES

There are several good reasons why alcohol causes heartburn including causing production of more acid in the stomach than is good; alcohol also causes your lower esophageal sphincter or LES to relax and that in turn means that acid from your stomach will be able to escape from your stomach and get into your esophagus. In addition, a relaxed lower esophageal sphincter leads to difficulties in swallowing.

Another good reason to avoid drinking excess of alcohol is that it causes the esophagus to become more sensitive to presence of stomach acids; and, alcohol causes heartburn because alcohol can result in peptic ulcers developing and it also prevents proper healing of those ulcers that are already present within your system.

Though alcohol causes heartburn it is still possible to consume alcohol and also minimize its ill effects. For one, you should start to dilute your alcoholic drink with plenty of soda or water; for another you should not consume more than one or two mixed drinks or more than between twelve and sixteen ounces of wine and never more than three beers at most.

You can also prevent the ill effects consequent to alcohol causing heartburn by drinking white wine rather than red wine and to also try and choose drinking beers and wines that are non-alcoholic. Finally, you need to also identify which alcohol is causing heartburn and then not consume those identified drinks.

There is also evidence to suggest that caffeine causes heartburn; this means that not only is alcohol a culprit as far as heartburn goes; but, coffee and other beverages containing caffeine too is responsible for your heartburn.

The bottom line in regard to controlling alcohol that causes heartburn is to never consume more than a couple of units of alcohol in a day if you are a woman; and, never more than three units per day in case you are a man. In addition, it will also help you if you ensure that you do not consume alcohol at least twice in a week. You should also not feel falsely reassured that just because you don’t feel drunk you can continue drinking alcohol. Always stick to the limits as mentioned above.