Learning What Causes Heartburn

Heartburn is one of the most common problems that affect millions of people all over the world. The frequency at which any one person experiences heartburn may differ. However, it is commonly seen after eating heavy foods that are full of fat. When learning what causes heartburn, one needs to understand what exactly heartburn is.

The name heartburn is a misnomer for the condition. Heartburn has nothing whatsoever to do with the heart. However, at times, the symptoms of the condition closely resemble those of a heart attack. Heartburn describes the burning irritation normally felt at the esophagus or at times at the back of the throat. This burning irritation is caused by stomach acid as it washes against these areas.

Having described what heartburn is, one may be interested in knowing how the stomach acid ends up washing against the esophagus wall. Under normal conditions, stomach acid is normally retained within the stomach. This is achieved through the help of gravity and the lower esophageal sphincter. This sphincter is the valve that separates the esophagus and the stomach. While normally, the lower esophageal sphincter remains tightly closed, sometimes it becomes loose thus allowing the stomach acid to wash up against the esophagus wall and thus, causes the common burning sensation that most people feel.

When it comes to learning what causes heartburn, one would be more inclined to think that the causes lie wholly within one’s diet. While this may be generally true, some factors such as genetic predisposition, obesity, as well as pregnancy have also been noted to be some of the causes for heartburn.

Caffeine drinks have been noted to be a major cause of heartburn in a number of sufferers. This is because the caffeine contained within these drinks has a relaxing effect on the lower esophageal sphincter which allows for stomach acid to wash against the esophageal wall. A common unknown cause of heartburn is chocolate. Chocolate just like caffeine relaxes the lower esophageal wall in such a way that stomach acid is permitted to leave the stomach and wash up against the esophageal wall. Studies into the contents of chocolates have identified that theobromine are responsible for the relaxing effect.

Fatty foods and alcoholic beverages are known to be the two major causes for heartburn cases all over the world. Often, after taking fatty foods, one’s digestion is considerably slowed down. Thus, food has to stay in the stomach for longer while it is being digested. This has the adverse effect of raising stomach pressure which places more pressure on the lower esophageal wall leading to stomach acid reflux. Alcohol has a similar reaction. Additionally, alcohol leads to more stomach acid production.

Research is currently underway on genetic predisposition and how it relates to what causes heartburn. However, with the other two less common causes i.e. pregnancy and obesity, the effects involve the weakening of the lower esophageal sphincter leading to stomach acid washing up against up against the esophagus.

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