The Causes For Heartburn

By Author: Steven Johnson
Total Articles: 494
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When we start feeling the unpleasant sensation in the chest known as heartburn, most of us start asking themselves what might be the actual cause for this? Because it's certainly disturbing to experience things like this when you're healthy in overall. Heartburn is characterized by the burning feeling in the esophagus that results from stomach content reflux into the esophagus and damage to the inner lining due to high acidity. It may also be accompanied by an unpleasant aftertaste without taking any food recently.

It is estimated that about 90% of all heartburn cases are actually caused by the food taken before the episode of heartburn. Certain foods increase the acidity in the stomach and provoke acid reflux into the esophagus, which ultimately leads to the burning sensations. So it's very important to understand which foods and drinks can provoke acid production in the stomach in order to avoid heartburn.

Another aspect that may cause heartburn is the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). It is a circular muscle connecting the esophagus to the stomach and assuring that any food that gets into the stomach doesn't ...
... get back up. However, when the LES is too weak or there are specific factors affecting its functionality the risk of experiencing a reflux and heartburn is higher. Caffeine is known to relax LES, so when you're drinking coffee or soft drinks containing caffeine you're more likely to experiencing heartburn.

Besides the negative effects of caffeine, there are specific products that are known to raise the acidity in the stomach and provoke reflux. Products like alcohol, chocolate, tomatoes, citrus fruits, saturated fats and salty foods are known to both relax LES and cause more acid to be produced in the stomach. When there's too much acid produced it can provoke stomach content reflux into esophagus and cause serious damage to the lining of the esophagus that is not protected like the inner lining of the stomach.

Some people may also have a natural predisposition towards heartburn and acid reflux due to their physiology. Normally, the LES is located in the same plane as the diaphragm (the muscle responsible for breathing). And quite often the combined work of the diaphragm and LES is what keeps the stomach contents in the stomach. However, in some people the LES may be located below or above the plane of diaphragm, which puts the entire pressure of keeping the stomach closed shut on the LES alone. Without the support of the diaphragm it is harder to keep the stomach closed an avoid stomach content reflux into the esophagus. And that's how physiology may be responsible for frequent heartburn.

If you suffer from heartburn on a regular basis it may be a sign of acid reflux problems. It is recommended that you contact your doctor for consultation and ask for a treatment rather than try to overcome the problem on your own. Drugs like Nexium will surely help you overcome the symptoms, but if the problem is more serious, only a professional healthcare provider can indicate the causes of the problem and find an effective solution.