What Causes Heartburn And Acid Reflux

Heartburn refers to the burning feeling in the upper stomach and chest with a sour taste in the tongue. Usually, heartburn happens after a heavy meal, especially lying or bending down after the meal. This disorder persists for a few minutes and hours.


Heartburn is caused when the gastric acid enters the food pipe, the esophagus. This becomes possible when the muscle lower esophageal sphincter (LES) separating stomach and diaphragm weakens and becomes dysfunctional, thus facilitating the flow of gastric acid in the esophagus. The LES opening leads to reflux and the acid causes burning feeling in the esophagus.


The most common causes that facilitate heartburn are categorized in to three: greater inward pressure on the food valve causes to open it, slackening of muscles that lessen the strength of valves, and finally increase gastric acid production in the stomach. The elements leading to the inward pressure from the outside or inside of the food value are: eating large quantity of foods, eating gas producing meals, eating oily foods, putting tight fitting clothes, pregnancy, sleeping immediately after a big meal, and bending often after a meal.


The factors that weaken the valve muscles are smoking, chewing tobacco, eating certain kinds of food, and over consumption of alcoholic beverages. The factors that enhance the production of gastric acids are fatty foods, oily foods, deep fried snacks, stressful conditions, consuming excessive spicy foods, and some type of medicines.


There are certain foods and drinks that weaken the food muscles and increases heartburns. They are tea, coffee, caffeinated drinks, chocolate, food items made out of tomato, tomato, citrus fruits and juices, alcohol, mints or peppermints, aerated drinks, obesity, and aspirin. Hiatal hernia is a health condition that pushes the stomach through the esophageal valve and causes heartburn.


It has been found that people with asthma and diabetes are likely prone to heartburn frequently. Another possible cause is the achalasia, an esophageal disorder that disturbs the flow of food in the food valve and prevents relaxation of valves. This disorder is rare and contributes much to the heartburn. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when the valve is not properly closed and increases the heartburn.


The health conditions that can cause heartburn are strongyloidiasis, mediastinitis, acid regurgitation, peptic ulcers, gastritis, lymphoma, Zollinger-Ellison sundrome, scleroderma, copper toxicity, indigestion, Worster Drought syndrome, esophagus cancer, niacin toxicity, Janbon syndrome, stomach cancer, REST syndrome, acute gastritis, Short Bowel syndrome, and gastroparesis.