Heartburn Sufferer? Learn About What Might Be Causing It by Andy Guides Jr

These days there are several causes of heartburn. This is largely so because of the fast paced way we live and the type of foods we consume. Most of these foods contain substances that are responsible for this condition. Their effect on the muscle that controls food entry into the stomach is more or less negative since it causes the muscle to relax thereby allowing stomach content to flow outwards thus causing a burning sensation.

Caffeine has been mentioned as one of the substances that cause this disorder. It is usually consumed in the form of coffee, tea and so many caffeinated drinks and beverages that abound in today's busy world. It affects the esophageal sphincter by causing it to relax. This opens the way for the gastric content to spill out into the esophagus causing a burning sensation in the chest.

Another food substance identified as a cause of heartburn is chocolate. This food substance that is widely consumed across the world today is partly made up of a substance known as theobromine. Theobromine is also found naturally in some plants like tea, cocoa, and coffee plants. This also has the same effect like caffeine on the esophageal sphincter, which causes the same results.

Fried and fatty foods are also known to cause this same effect. These kinds of foods usually reduce the pace of digestion of food. This causes a build-up of pressure in the stomach that affects the esophageal sphincter. When the pressure becomes too excessive, the sphincter is forced to open or relax, allowing the gastric content to flow out causing a burning sensation to the person around the chest area.

Alcohol is also confirmed to be responsible for heartburn. It makes the esophageal sphincter to be relaxed leading to reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. This is said to be quite common in consumers of alcohol, especially people who take alcohol in addition to any of the other food substances with similar a similar effect.

The kind of clothes one wears also contributes critically to raise intra abdominal pressure especially with clothes that are tight around the waist. This raised pressure is more pronounced a few moments after a meal. The pressure normally causes the sphincter to relax making the stomach content to spill out. This content that is acidic causes a burning sensation in the chest area.

So many other things, which can either be related to structural or functional aspects of the body, can lead to heartburn. It is always important to know most of them in order to reduce its incidence.