What is heartburn?
Heartburn is a burning pain in your chest, just behind your breastbone.
The pain is often worse after eating or when lying down or bending over.
As we read in the article, the cause of unpleasant discomfort is irritation of the esophagus with stomach acid content.
Heartburn is usually characterized by symptoms such as: sharp pain in the chest after eating, bitter or sour taste in the mouth, etc.
Causes
Heartburn occurs when stomach acid backs up into the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach (esophagus).
Normally when you swallow, a band of muscle around the bottom of your esophagus (lower esophageal sphincter) relaxes to allow food and liquid to flow down into your stomach. Then the muscle tightens again.
Now imagine in a pathological state how this process is violated - stomach acid flows back up into your esophagus (acid reflux) and cause heartburn.
Risk factors
Being overweight or pregnant can increase your risk of experiencing heartburn.
Certain foods and drinks can trigger heartburn in some people, including:
- Spicy foods
- Onions
- Citrus products
- Tomato products, such as ketchup
- Fatty or fried foods
- Peppermint
- Chocolate
- Alcohol
- Carbonated beverages, coffee or other caffeinated beverages
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heartburn/symptoms-causes/syc-20373223
