What Causes Acid Reflux?
Acid reflux is caused when acid from the stomach enters the esophagus and causes a burning sensation like heartburn. There is a bundle or ring of muscles called lower esophageal sphincter (LES) at the end of the esophagus where the esophagus joins the stomach.
Under normal circumstances once food moves from the esophagus into the stomach the LES contracts and closes, stopping hydrochloric acid in the stomach from moving back into the esophagus.
Acid reflux is caused when the LES doesn’t close all the way or when it opens too much, allowing acid to back up into the esophagus.
When this happens the hydrochloric acid will attack the cells of the esophagus, which are not buffered to neutralize the acid, and this results in chest pain and the pain can be severe.
Frequent attacks are labeled as acid reflux disease or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). A common reason for developing acid reflux is the development of a hiatus hernia.
This occurs when the stomach is pushed up through the diaphragm, either directly into the esophagus or next to it. This allows for stomach acid to stay in direct contact with the esophagus.
A hiatus hernia is often caused by straining to excrete short hard stool, which is caused by eating diets low in fiber and high in animal protein and fat.
A diet high in fiber can alleviate the straining of the abdominal muscles and reduce the pressure the put on the stomach.
Other causes of acid reflux include, eating large meals consisting of animal protein and fat, lying down right after a meal so the food and hydrochloric acid can back up into the esophagus.
