Smoking and heartburn
What is the connection between smoking and heartburn?
You know smoking is bad for lungs, for you and those around you too. Did you know that
smoking can cause or increase your heartburn? In fact, Smoking can affect the whole digestive system.
How smoking can lead to heartburn?
Why smoking can cause or aggravate heartburn?
What does smoking do to affect your digestive system and how?
Heartburn and smoking facts:
A smoker is more likely to get heartburn than a non smoker
When a smoker gets heartburn, it is more likely to last longer.
The valve doesn't work as it should, that is to stop the acid from getting
into esophagus. So for smokers the acid gets easily into esophagus and stays there longer
causing burning sensation.
Smoking can damage the digestive system.
Smoking also may change the composition of saliva; smoker's salvia may
contain less amount of bicarbonate. This reduces the ability of saliva to reduce the stomach
acid, causing damage to the esophageal lining tissues.
- Smoking stimulates the production of stomach acids.
- Smoking slows the saliva production.
What does Saliva do for digestion?
Saliva
- : bathes the esophagus (the food pipe)
- : lessens effects of acids
- : Helps wash the acid down to stomach.
- : ensures protection to esophagus. Saliva contains chemicals that neutralize acids.
These chemicals are called bicarbonates. The saliva of a smoker contains less quantity
of bicarbonates. Therefore it reduces the capacity of saliva of neutralizes the acids.
- Esophagus and the LES valve (the valve between the esophagus and stomach), can
become weak and relaxed because of smoking. Stomach contents, the acids, can rise up
into the esophagus if LES is not working properly or it relaxes.
- Smoking can injure esophagus which can expose it to more acid reflux and cause more damage.
Smoking can cause to block the food pipe.
- Smoking causes digestive stress. This can change the way the food is processed and
digested. Smokers may have weaker digestion.
If you are a smoker:
Stopping smoking can help in getting rid of heartburn.
Reducing the tobacco intake can reduce the time and severity of heartburn symptoms.
Remember, smoking and heartburn go together and can worsen your digestive problems.
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