Understanding heartburn and your diet

Heartburn, scientifically called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is central burning chest pain anybody can get say after eating certain foods. 

Dr Dan Oriba, an internal medicine specialist, says while food enters your stomach without a glitch, sometimes, during the process of digestion, some of that food and the acids escape through the lower upper part of the stomach and goes to the oesophagus, causing a burning feeling or pain. 

“One could look at it as regurgitation of food or liquids and the pain is normally worse at night and when one is lying down,” he says. Occasional heartburn is not rare and is no cause for alarm.

Occurring often however, acid reflux may indicate a serious disease such as peptic ulcers or part of the stomach striding into the chest (a hiatus hernia). It is, therefore, worth investigating and managing,” Dr Vincent Karuhanga, a general physician, says.

Causes

Dr Oriba says the condition normally occurs among people who have a weak sphincter muscle and abnormalities of stomach movements because among them, liquids and food easily escape causing reflux.

Slow digesting foods 

Dr Karuhanga says foods such as cassava and potatoes take long to be digested and cause acid reflux. These foods, he adds, also require a lot of acid production for digestion to occur. 

Spicy meals

Meals that are heavily spiced, though delicious, may contain capsaicin which slows digestion, causing the food to sit in the stomach for longer periods. Just like slow-digesting foods, spicy foods make one susceptible to heartburn. Additionally, these spices irritate the oesophagus, thus worsening the effects of heartburn.

Citrus fruits 

While fruits are essential for healthy living, some, such as citrus fruits introduce excessive acid in the stomach. They are essentially adding fuel to fire, more so for one that already has heartburn. To avoid this, it is advisable to either not eat them or mix them with other fruits such as watermelon to reduce the intensity of the effects, Dr Oriba says.

Why at night?

Acid reflux also happens in the night because then, hormones are being produced and the body is relaxing, including the oesophagus. Therefore, if you have eaten late and gone to bed early, chances of getting heartburn are high. 

“The stomach still has food and the sleeping posture will make some food and liquids flow back into the oesophagus. It is, therefore, important that one sits up for at least 30 minutes before sleeping,” Dr Oriba says.

Prevention

Some patients are taking medication such as diclofenac, ibuprofen or aspirin for various ailments such as pain management of arthritis. 

“You could talk to your doctor to reduce the amount of the medication given or give you tablets that reduce the production of acid in your stomach and other adverse effects of this medication such as ulcers,” Dr Oriba says.

For people that get occasional heartburn, Dr Karuhanga says, changing lifestyle may be enough. For instance, exercise more to free yourself from stress or lose weight. Replacing slow-digesting foods with fruits and vegetables will ease acid reflux.  

“Eat food long before bed time to allow it digest before going to bed,” Dr Oriba says, adding that for those with chronic acid reflux, it is important that one uses pillows to elevate their sleeping posture because if they lie flat, it will increase the frequency of heartburn.

The bottom line

● Many foods can cause heartburn by relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter, a ring-like muscle that acts as a barrier between the esophagus and stomach.

● If you experience heartburn frequently, try removing some foods from your diet to see whether your symptoms improve.

● It is a good idea to keep a food diary so you can track which foods give you heartburn.

● Even though removing certain foods may help control heartburn, it is best to work with your doctor to come up with a comprehensive treatment plan to manage your symptoms. 

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