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34 Health & Food
11 foods that can cause heartburn - By: Ashleigh Boadi
Heartburn (also known as Gastroesophageal reflux disease) is usually
described as an unpleasant burning sensation in the lower chest
area. Heartburn occurs when stomach acid finds its way into the
oesophagus which is the tube which delivers food to your stomach.
In normal cases, stomach acid should not be able to escape into the
oesophagus due to the lower oesophageal sphincter; which acts as
a barrier that only opens when you swallow or burp. However, in the
case of people who experience heart burn, their lower oesophageal
sphincter muscle is weakened which increases the chances of stomach
acid escaping into the oesophagus.
HIGH-FAT FOODS
Foods with large amounts of fat usually cause heartburn;
this also includes healthy foods such as avocados and
nuts, these high fat foods essentially cause heartburn
in 2 ways. Firstly, they can cause the relaxation of the
lower oesophageal sphincter, this will allow stomach
acid to escape into the oesophagus which therefore
causes heartburn. Secondly, these foods trigger the
release of the hormone cholecystokinin (CCK). The
release of this hormone also relaxes the muscle barrier
and encourages food to remain in the stomach for a
longer period of time so that it can be digested better
which consequently increases the risk of acid reflux
and heartburn
Bottom Line: High-fat foods can cause heartburn due
to the relaxing of the lower oesophageal sphincter
(barrier between oesophagus and stomach).
Additionally, the consummation of these foods release
the hormone CCK which also relaxes this barrier
and allows food to remain in the stomach for longer
increases the chances of heartburn.
SALT
Salt and salty foods may put you at risk of heartburn
because it may increase reflux. A study showed that
people who added salt to their meals had a 70%
higher risk of reflux than those who never added salt.
The study also found that people who ate salty food
at least 3 times a week had a 50% chance of having a
reflux than those who never ate salted foods.
Bottom Line: Consuming table salt and salty foods can
increase your chances of heartburn.
MINT
The common consensus about mints is that they
soothe the digestive system but one study found that
high doses of spearmint were linked with acid reflux
symptoms which cause heartburn by irritating the
lining of the oesophagus. An additional study which
assess over 500 people concluded that those who
consumed peppermint tea on a daily basis had twice
the risk of heartburn. However, there isn’t a widespread
of evidence that links mint and heartburn together.
Bottom Line: Peppermint and spearmint may cause
heartburn although there is not a large amount of
evidence to support this.
CITRUS JUICES
Citrus juices may trigger heartburn symptoms, a study
of 382 people with heartburn deduced that 67% of
participants experienced heartburn after consuming
orange juice. Furthermore, an additional study which
assess 400 people who experienced heartburn; found
out that 73% experienced heartburn after drinking
orange or grapefruit juice. Hence, the amount of
acid in citrus juices may cause heartburn symptoms.
Although, it is not explicit how citrus juices actually
cause heartburn.
Bottom Line: Citrus Juices like orange and grapefruit
are likely to cause heartburn however it is unclear how
this process occurs.
MILK
Milk is often thought to alleviate heartburn’ instead,
specifically whole milk increases stomach acid which
is a risk factor for heartburn. A study of around 400
people was conducted and around on 38% people
reported heartburn symptoms.
Scientists have
argued that it is the fat content of the milk that causes
heartburn.
Bottom Line: whole milk can cause heart burn due to
the fat content
CHOCOLATE
Similar to high-fat foods, chocolate can also relax the
lower oesophageal sphincter (LES) which allows stomach