Monday, March 28, 2011

Food Triggers Stomach Disorders

Frequent belching, abdominal bloating and discomfort after eating is the main characteristic of digestive disorders that are often experienced by patients sensitive stomach. American College of Gastroenterology call, over 95 million Americans suffer from bad digestion system.

Improper food processing is a common trigger indigestion. Cooking food with the temperature too high for example, can destroy the natural enzymes in raw foods. The loss of digestive enzymes that help process this can lead to premature aging.

Dr. Steven Lamm from NYU Medical Center, said those who suffer from sensitive stomach like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), heartburn, acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease known as prone to react to certain foods and drinks.

As quoted from page Aol, following a number of foods that can aggravate sensitive stomach condition:

Tomatoes
"Tomatoes can cause irritation of the esophagus, causing symptoms of acid reflux, heartburn or make heartburn worse," said Isenberg. Sour taste on this red fruit can stimulate the production of extra acid in the digestion in the stomach.

As a result, acid can back up the esophagus, aggravating the sensitive esophagus, can even damage the esophagus. Tomatoes are packed in sauce or paste form can also have the same effect for those who have a sensitive stomach problems.

Peppermint
Beyond its benefits, peppermint can cause symptoms of heartburn improvement. This effect arises from all foods containing mint, like peppermint tea, and even chewing gum and peppermint candy nasal congestion relief.

Dr. Gerald Ashton Isenberg, an expert in gastroenterology at UH Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, said, "Mint increases the likelihood of acid reflux because it relaxes the muscles which are located at the end of the esophagus, thus making the acid from the stomach back into the food pipe."

Nuts
The content of oligosaccharides can result in intestinal gas. Oligosaccharide is a kind of complex sugar consisting of large molecules to small intestine. In addition, the body can not break down these complex sugars because they do not have the enzymes to do so.

Coffee
Acid in coffee can irritate the stomach lining, which can cause excessive production of hydrochloric acid. This trigger indigestion and reflux, especially for those who are prone to heartburn.

Broccoli
Dietitian Katherine Brooking said that broccoli is a vegetable that produces gas. For those who have disorders of the colon, broccoli can cause stomach upsets. Soluble fiber foods, which are not destroyed until it reaches the large intestine, also contain raffinose, a complex sugar that produce gas such as in nuts.

Dairy Products
"Humans are the only species that continue to drink milk after weaning, and many people lose the ability to digest lactose (milk sugar) as they grow into adulthood," said Teitelbaum, Medical Director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers.

Lactose intolerance is caused by deficiency of the enzyme lactase, produced by cells lining the small intestine. As a result the body can not digest food properly and make a lot of gas.

Fatty foods
Foods high in fat, including fried foods, can improve the symptoms of stomach acid, says Brooking. Fatty foods take longer to dissolve in the body, so stuck in the stomach for a long time.

As a result, the body automatically produces extra stomach acid to aid digestion. Please be aware that eating too much will also cause delays in digestion and stimulates the stomach to release more acid.

Cold Drinks
Digestion depends entirely on gastric acid and digestive enzymes. Highly recommended mengasup hot drinks, like tea or hot water with lemon, after a meal or a cold drink. "Drink ice cold can turn off the digestive enzymes, and cause indigestion."

Chocolate
Chocolate has proven health benefits, including reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease. But you also need to be cautious because chocolate can cause indigestion and heartburn. Chocolate contains caffeine, other agents that encourage the stomach to produce excess acid.

"Chocolate contains concentrations of theobromine, a compound that occurs naturally in many plants such as cocoa, tea and coffee plants," said Lamm. "And these compounds have the ability to relax the esophageal sphincter muscle, letting stomach acid up into the esophagus."