What Causes Acid Reflux?

 Encountering a bitter taste after savoring that yummy spicy chicken pizza is fairly common. But what if the bitter taste is a persistent thing? And worse, most of the times you often find the food particles back into your mouth every time you burp. Well, then you can be suffering from Gastroesophageal reflux disease or in simple plain English from acid reflux.

So what is acid reflux? Acid reflux is a condition wherein the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is not able to withhold the backflow of the stomach acid and other stomach contents into the esophagus. In normal circumstances, the lower esophageal sphincter acts like a valve that prevents the backflow of acidic juices and other contents of the stomach, allowing only the passage of food from the esophagus into the stomach.

Whenever, it fails to perform its expected function, the acidic juices slip back into the esophagus. This causes irritation in the esophagus and the condition is then referred to as acid reflux. The other scientific name for acid reflux is Gastroesophageal reflux or GERD.

There are many factors that can trigger acid reflux in a person. Diet is one of them. Since acid reflux is an ailment associated with the stomach, whatever that goes into the stomach is bound to create an effect on acid reflux. The fast food fad that is rapidly gaining importance in the urban dietary patterns is one major cause of acid reflux. Not only is fast food low in fiber and nutritional contents, but also is also very oily and spicy. Oily and spicy food can trigger off acid reflux in many cases. Similarly, beverages like soft drinks and juices made from citric fruits such as lime and orange are known to cause acid reflux. Drinks laden with caffeine are known to induce acid reflux.

Consumption of alcohol or alcoholic beverages is also considered to be one of the causes of acid reflux. Alcohol is known for relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter's muscle thus aiding in the escape of acidic juices into the esophagus. Alcohol when taken in large quantities also causes the irritation of the mucous membrane of the esophagus, thus inducing GERD. Similarly, smoking is also closely linked to acid reflux. Smokers produce half the saliva produced by non-smokers. Saliva contains bicarbonate that is known for neutralizing stomach acids. Smoking also relaxes the LES muscles. This increases the chances of getting acid reflux.

Being over weight can also trigger off acid reflux. Normally more fat around the stomach region means more pressure around the stomach area, which pushes up the acidic juices into the esophagus and eventually leads to GERD. Pregnancy can also be attributed to causing acid reflux as there is an increase pressure near the abdomen.

Hiatus hernia is another cause of GERD. The diaphragm separates the chest from the stomach. Hiatus is a small hole in the diaphragm. Some times the hiatus weakens and enlarges. This allows the stomach to protrude into the chest. This causes disruption in the normal working of the LES, thus leading to acid reflux.

These are the major causes of acid reflux. A little change in the dietary habits and kicking off bad habits can improve the condition of acid reflux.