Heartburn Related To Alcoholism

Heartburn is an uncomfortable but a common ailment that causes warmth or burning sensation in the chest. It is mainly caused by stomach acid. Different people experience heartburn due to different reasons but most of these reasons involve digestion of food. Continuous heartburn problem may lead to more complications such as ulcers and interfere in performing routine tasks.  

Many people, who drink alcohol regularly, complain of heartburn. After numerous researches, it has been found, that heartburn is related to alcoholism and alcoholics are at a greater risk of suffering from heartburn.

Heartburn

Pain resulting from the stomach acid coming up to esophagus is heartburn.  The food that we eat reaches our stomach passing through a tube called the esophagus - the food pipe. The lower part of esophagus is a tight muscle called Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES), which prevents the food from traveling back to esophagus.

Once in the stomach, the stomach acid digests the food. This acid being very strong can damage most parts of the body. However, the stomach is protected from this acid by a special mucous layer but the esophagus is not protected by any such layer. If the LES does not completely close and the stomach acid comes through it, the lower part of esophagus may be damaged by stomach acid leading to heartburn.

Alcoholism

Alcoholism or alcoholic dependence can be called a disease as it includes a strong urge to drink irrespective of the negative consequences it has such as health problems and relationship disputes. It may be a result of depression or other problems that may seem impossible to solve, due to which a person resorts to drinking.

Heartburn and Alcoholism

Different people may have different reactions of excessive alcohol intake. For some it may result in heartburn. Heartburn may result as alcohol in large quantities is consumed over a long period of time.

• The relaxation that people seek from alcohol takes place in LES or the lower esophageal sphincter leading to its opening which then triggers heartburn.
• Alcohol drinking can contribute to heartburn in many ways. Too much alcohol can increase the lrelaxation of LES, thus allowing the acid to flow out of stomach and damage esophagus.
• Alcohol can also trigger heartburn by causing the progressive contractions to become erratic that occur when we swallow. An irregular rhythm of swallowing can cause the acid to enter the in esophagus and bring about heartburn.
• Drinking beer and wine can also increase the amount of acid production in the stomach. Alcohol can make the esophagus sensitive to acid and cause swelling or inflammation in its protective lining.

To conclude,it can be said that too much alcohol consumption can cause the problem of heartburn. Learning to know why it happens may be an effective step towards its prevention. Alcohol intake should be limited, even during the meals it should not exceed to more that one or two drinks.