The Lower Esophageal Sphincter and Heartburn

If you're one of the many people who suffers from the less than pleasant acid reflux, known in medical circles as gastroesophageal reflux disease, then you'd probably like to know what causes it. Don't trust everything you hear, some people will tell you things like it's caused by too much fat - this is complete rubbish. There are many causes, but just four common ones. The following article discusses how the lower oesophageal sphincter can cause acid reflux.



Firstly, unless you're a doctor, you're probably wondering what the lower oesophageal sphincter is. It's a small band of muscle that lies around the oesophagus where it joins the stomach. It relaxes and widens to allow food to pass down, and under normal conditions it contracts to close off the stomach in order to prevent food, or anything else swimming around down there, from moving back up. It's sort of like turnstiles at the fairground, you're only allowed through one way, unless they're broken.



When it's working correctly, food just goes one way; in through the mouth and back out lower down. Under these conditions, digestion happens correctly, with no acid reflux. It therefore doesn't take a genius to work out that when it's not working properly acid reflux is likely to happen, so next time you get heartburn, impress your mates and tell them its your lower oesophageal sphincter. In fact they probably don't want to know, but you'd probably like to know exactly how it malfunctions.



Two ways it happens, very simple. One is where it doesn't fully close, the other where it takes too long to contract, both allowing acid to get through. After a large meal, slow contraction will happen in everyone, so even people who wouldn't normally have acid reflux will suffer a tiny bit.



Remember to also check out the other three common causes of acid reflux. Do bear in mind though that problems with the lower oesophageal sphincter are a very common cause, and that if you have more acid reflux than usual after big meals, this could well be the cause.