Heartburn Triggers that Have Nothing to Do with Food

Heartburn is no fun at all, and avoiding acidic or spicy foods should keep that nasty heartburn at bay, right? Well, surprise surprise, it's just not that simple. Learn the surprising things that cause heartburn, adding insult to injury. Hey, at least knowing about these surprising things can help keep further heartburn at bay. Hopefully, anyway. Some of them are even good for us otherwise, go figure.

Fish oil and those Omega-3 supplements may be great for your skin and heart health, but guess what? They also cause heartburn, go figure. Consuming more water along with the supplement or easing on the supplement a bit can help if the heartburn is unbearable, but otherwise it can seem that the heartburn is almost worth the pain. Maybe...

note: any other pill can contribute to heartburn as well. Ever chew on an aspirin and felt like you were consuming battery acid? Yeah. If you take any kind of pill or medication, it can be attributing to your heartburn. Not taking the pill with an acidic drink can help (like orange juice, for example) or taking the pill with a meal can help ease your heartburn woes, because man, heartburn caused by medications can really burn.

Another reason to quit smoking, y'all- heartburn is a well-known side effect of smoking. And chewing, by the way. Smoking can cause heartburn like none other, and cutting back or quitting smoking can greatly reduce your heartburn occurrence, and your overall health in general.

Did you know that stress can cause heartburn? And forget about trying to relax with a nice brew of peppermint tea. Unfortunately, peppermint is a stress reliever but a surprising heartburn cause in itself. Sigh. So, if you want to relax, skip the peppermint tea for heartburn relief and try chamomile instead. Ahh...relief.

Your weight and your genetics are also surprising culprits behind heartburn. Overweight people are more prone to heartburn than average or underweight people are, and if your parents have heartburn, you are more likely to suffer from it as well. While you cannot control your genetics, you can do something about your weight as a heartburn trigger, so it may be all the motivation you need to get moving.

Source:

Surprising Heartburn Triggers - MSN Health - Heartburn & GERD