What's The Relationship Between Acid Reflux And Diet?

Relaxing in front of the television or just sitting down in the lounge chair, you experience a sudden gushing feeling or burning in your upper abdomen. This radiates up into your chest and your esophagus, accompanied by a sour taste in the mouth. Wondering, what this condition is all about?

This condition, where stomach acid travels from the stomach to the esophagus, is what is know as acid reflux and acid reflux and diet are connected to one another.

Acid reflux happens when stomach acids come into contact with the lining of the esophagus causing it to become irritated.

Here are some of the causes of acid reflux:

* A weakened Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) is one of the reasons why acid refluxes into the esophagus. LES is the valve that keeps the stomach acid in the stomach. Once it is relaxed or weakened, it isn't able to perform this function so well.

* Certain foods are contributory factors to the weakening of the Lower Esophageal Sphincter. Examples of these are chocolates, spicy foods, fatty foods, tomatoes and tomato-based products and drinks that contain caffeine or alcohol.

* Certain conditions like obesity and pregnancy where there is excessive pressure in the abdomen causing a pushing of some of the contents of the stomach back into the esophagus. This can also occur with tight fitting clothing or accessories such as a belt.

One of the most accepted suggestions for treatment, if you frequently experience acid reflux, is to improve your diet. Taking action early on will avoid the acid reflux developing into a chronic condition that may bring about dangerous complications if not acted upon at once. Changes in the diet are a simple solution.