Heartburn: Is Food the Culprit?

Heartburn is a common complaint, with at least 50 percent of the adult population in the U.S. experiencing it once a week or more. Heartburn varies from one individual to another, but most agree that it is a burning or uncomfortable sensation at the top of the abdomen, just behind the breastbone.

Heartburn’s True Cause

The main cause of heartburn is a malfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) muscle. This muscle is to open the “door” to the stomach to allow swallowed food to enter, and then close it quickly before food and stomach juice can wash back into the esophagus. When the LES fails to perform properly, acids flow into the esophagus and irritate its sensitive lining.

Heartburn Food

Although heartburn is, at its root, a muscular problem, there is a belief among many that certain foods are to blame for the problem. These heartburn foods may not be the same for one person as they are for another. The following are examples of foods that might trigger heartburn.

* Acidic foods: Citrus fruits, tomatoes, and other foods that tend to be acidic in nature are said to increase acid in the stomach, causing heartburn. If you believe these are heartburn foods for you, you will want to avoid cranberries and cranberry juice, grapefruit and grapefruit juice, lemons and lemonade, oranges and orange juice, tomatoes, and tomato juice.

* Fatty foods: Pork chops, deep fried chicken, French fries, and similar fatty foods are also claimed as heartburn foods. You can test your own sensitivity to them by avoiding all buffalo wings, chicken nuggets, corn chips, cream fatty hamburgers, French fries, ice cream, potato chips, salad dressings that are creamy, and other fatty foods.

* Caffeine: A common suspect when it comes to heartburn food is coffee or other sources of caffeine. Test yourself by avoiding it for two weeks. If your heartburn stops or is greatly reduced, you may want to switch to caffeine-free coffee.

* Sweet desserts: Most sweet desserts are included in lists of heartburn foods, perhaps because they contain fat to carry the sweet taste. High fat sugar cookies, doughnuts, brownies, cakes, and other desserts may or may not contribute to your heartburn.

* Spicy foods: One of the most common things listed as a heartburn food is spice. The term is used loosely in the context of heartburn, often including onions and garlic.

Food May Not Be the Culprit

Some physicians believe that so-called heartburn foods may not be culprits after all. Lauren Gerson, M.D. assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, completed research recently that indicates there is no evidence at all to show that people should deprive themselves of certain heartburn foods, except for a few unlucky individuals whose heartburn is clearly triggered by a certain food.

Dr. Gerson says that there is insufficient evidence to support the belief that eating foods mentioned above will make heartburn worse for most people. Nor is there evidence that avoiding them will make heartburn go away.

If you choose to believe Dr. Gerson’s research, you may go ahead and eat chocolate, spicy cuisine, coffee, and fatty foods. You may drink orange juice with breakfast, too, or even eat a grapefruit.

Disclaimer: The author is not a medical professional, and offers the above information for educational purposes only.