What Are The Leading Causes Of Heartburn?

Heartburn is a sensation of burning discomfort in the chest just behind the breastbone. It is the result of contact of corrosive acidic contents in the stomach with the unprotected lining of the esophagus. There are many causes of heartburn. They include the following:

Lifestyle, diet, and certain medications can all contribute towards heartburn. They do so by causing hyperacidity in the stomach, by causing increased stomach pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) at the entrance to the stomach, or by directly inflaming the esophageal lining.

The most important predisposing factors for the above include the following.

Eating/dietary habits: Citrus fruits, peppermint, tomatoes, spearmint, raw onions, tomatoes and products made from tomato, black pepper, spicy foods, fatty foods, and garlic eating all contribute their own little bit towards heartburn.

Greasy or fatty foods slow down the digestive process in the stomach and result in the stay of food for longer than is usual. This gives the contents of the stomach more opportunity to move up into the esophagus after relaxation of the LES.

Beverages that cause hyperacidity in the stomach: Coffee contains caffeine. A high intake of caffeine through heavy coffee drinking can raise the acidity level in the stomach. Further, heavy intake of beer, tea, and carbonated drinks also results in hyperacidity.

Moreover, besides the beverages above, spicy foods, tomato products, and citrus fruits contribute towards directly inflaming the esophageal lining.

Certain medications may cause hyperacidity in the stomach or may directly inflame the esophageal lining.

What causes heartburn? To understand this, it is important to understand the mechanism of opening of the LES. It is important for the LES to relax to provide it rest after being in the constricted position for a long time during the digestion of food in the stomach. The LES timing mechanism is set in the brain to open after a fixed period of time after entry of food into the stomach. The LES thus relaxes and opens after the stomach contents of a moderate meal have all passed into the duodenum.

This is the normal case. In such a case, the stomach is empty when the LES relaxes and opens, so there is no question of acid reflux and heartburn.

Heavy meals or fatty foods are taxing for the stomach. They may result in hyperacidity in the stomach. Further, longer than the normal time is taken in their case for the digestive process to be completed in the stomach.

So, in the above cases, when the LES relaxes and opens after a fixed duration after entry of food in the stomach, the food is still in the stomach and the stomach muscles continue to apply pressure on the contents of the stomach. Consequently, this acidic food then moves up into the esophagus and acid reflux and associated heartburn occurs.

Other causes of heartburn include certain predisposing body positions, hormonal disturbances and extra pressure on the stomach during pregnancy, hiatal hernia, obesity, smoking, and wearing tight clothes.

Privacy Policy Contact Us