|
GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents like food or acidic digestive juice leak backward through a ring of muscle known as the lower esophageal sphincter into the esophagus, the tube from the mouth to the stomach. Sometimes people may taste digestive juice or food in the back of their mouths when the acid refluxes all the way up through the esophagus to the mouth. People with GERN will experience irritation in the esophagus; causing heartburn or a burning pain in the chest, nausea after eating, and other symptoms. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), if let GERD untreated, it can lead to bleeding or ulcers in the esophagus, make swallowing difficult by cumulating scar tissues, and develop esophageal cancer in extreme cases.
Researchers believe that there are two general causes of GERD: our body weights and the foods we eat. For instance, excess weight can press on the stomach and force acidic digestive juice passing through the lower esophageal sphincter into the esophagus. In the same manner, the reflux can be also caused by the accumulation of fat around the organs inside the body that increasing the pressure on the stomach.
Furthermore, the foods we eat may cause GERD in different ways. Fatty foods, as an example, usually stay in our stomachs longer than other foods before getting completely digested. Slowing down the emptying of our stomachs may increase our chances to experience the reflux. According to the NIH, eating acidic, spicy, or strongly favored foods can also cause reflux because these foods increase the amount of acid in our stomachs.
In addition to the medical treatment, doctors recommend that GERD can be prevented by finding out which foods are more likely to increase the acid in the stomach that causing heartburn or reflux, and then avoiding those foods. Eating the final meal of the day at least two to three hours before bedtime can also reduce the amount of food in the stomach that may press against the lower esophageal sphincter. Moreover, lifestyle changes such as exercising regularly, losing excess weights, and adopting a healthy diet can effectively reduce the possibility of reflux or heartburn.
|
|
