Doctors and nutritionists are not exactly in agreement as to what causes acid reflux. There are many causes but there is only one cure. What you eat can trigger an attack, or it can be a very mild irritant.
Acid reflux is something that can range from mild to severe depending on how bad it is. The severity will also depend on the amount of food you eat and the time of day. There are certain foods that are harder to digest, which means your stomach has to work harder, which speeds up the rate at which the food is being digested, causing the acid to back up and make the symptoms of acid reflux worse.
Heartburn is another problem associated with acid reflux. It is the abdominal pain felt with an acidic condition. The most common foods to cause heartburn are those rich in carbohydrates. The symptoms include the burning sensation in the chest and the feeling of choking or belching.
Acid reflux is also triggered by foods that are spicy and/or salty. Chewing of hard foods like candies, chocolates, hot dogs, hard cheeses, hard pretzels, hard candies, bran muffins, etc., and even chewing on hard-cooked vegetables like corn is known to trigger an attack.
Acid reflux can also be caused by too much exercise. Just like eating hard foods, too much exercise is also a trigger. If you have a sedentary lifestyle and eat a lot of food before bedtime, this can also aggravate the condition.
Health experts also agree that stress is the number one factor in the condition. Stress can make the muscles of the stomach work harder causing the acid to back up. Excessive work, for example running, is also known to cause stress and can affect the digestive system, contributing to the problem.
Stomach feeding is also known to increase the pressure in the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the one that stops stomach acid from moving up the esophagus. This is thought to be a cause of most acid reflux problems.
Food intake can trigger the occurrence of an attack in several ways. If the victim is allergic to certain types of food, an attack may be triggered by eating the offending food.
The most common trigger of an attack of acid reflux is a change in the way the stomach works. An increase in gas production from an increase in the amount of food eaten can also be a cause.
Another trigger of an attack of acid reflux is the same food that was originally the cause. A change in the type of food can also cause an attack to occur. When changing the type of food a person eats, the acidity levels of the stomach can also change and an attack can result.
It can be hard to determine what is triggering an attack of acid reflux. However, it is helpful to keep a journal of what you eat and note the symptoms. Keeping a record of what you eat can also give you a good idea of what to avoid.
