The Many Causes of Acid Reflux

All it takes to understand the causes of acid reflux is a simple lesson in anatomy. On the way to the stomach food passes through what is called the esophageal sphincter. After the sphincter closes, then digestion can commence. But sometimes certain foods and/or pressure buildups can cause the sphincter to open or release. This leads to food and acid pushing up through the esophagus causing heartburn and irritation and other causes of acid reflux.

Foods and Situations that are Causes of Acid Reflux

Many well-known causes of acid reflux come from tomatoes and tomato based foods. These foods can actually weaken the esophageal sphincter. Tomato based foods are also very acidic which does not help the problem. Because the tomato is a staple of many different cultures, they are not easily avoided, but nevertheless they are one of the main causes of acid reflux.

Caffeine is also one of the main causes of acid reflux. This also means that any kind of coffee or soda or chocolate is potentially harmful because they are also causes of acid reflux. That being said, there will always be people who will not stop drinking their beloved caffeine products. This means that those people must take extra precautions when dealing with acid reflux.

Other common causes of acid reflux are fried and fatty foods. These take longer to digest in the stomach, which causes more acid to build up to help digest them properly. The extra acid builds pressure in the stomach and on the esophageal sphincter causing it to open and reflux to occur. Many people find it hard to change their diet even though they know many of their foods are causes of acid reflux and that cutting those foods down would surely help in the long run.

Certain situations must be avoided. These situations have been known to be causes of acid reflux. One of these situations is eating too much. Pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter can be caused by too full of a stomach. Try not to lie down two to three hours after eating, this is a very important rule to be followed. Lying down would allow food to rise up into your esophagus. These two situations can usually be easily avoided.

Usually once you know the causes of acid reflux, avoiding it can be manageable. This can be done by avoiding these foods and situations or by taking medications. Many of the medications can be bought over the counter but some are needed for chronic acid reflux and may be prescribed by physicians. Knowing the causes of acid reflux can make life much less painful.