Junk food may cause heartburn

If you are not monitoring your food habits and growing up on junk food then it's not just obesity that may be knocking at your door but you may also be suffering from heartburn or acid indigestion, leading to symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease that is affecting about three in every five urban Indian.

According to a new study by the Health Care Welfare Society in eight Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Hyderabad, episodic heartburn is less serious and more common and a number of people easily manage their symptoms by avoiding certain foods and well-known antacids.

"However, for those with frequent heartburns where the symptoms are persistent, it could be a sign of something more serious. Most people have heartburns when the oesophagus comes in contact with stomach acids. Left untreated, it can lead to ulcers and bleeding of the oesophagus. In the worst-case scenario it can also lead to the risk of cancer of the oesophagus," said Y. K Joshi, Gastro-enterologist at the All-India Institute of medical Sciences here.

The survey found that irregular eating habits are causing heartburns among 71 per cent of the urban adult population. Food-related problems constitute the largest chunk of reasons leading to acidity.

Fifty-seven per cent of frequent heartburn sufferers surveyed said that irregular eating habits, especially eating out, have caused them heartburns more than once in a given month.

Because so many people are suffering from fits of heartburn occasionally, people dealing with frequent heartburns aren't always sure if their problem is out of the ordinary.

Spicy food items (pizza, spicy curries, chips and snacks) -- a must-have at parties, celebrations and social gathering -- are the top culprits. Stress (7 per cent), lack of sleep (6 per cent) and long working hours (9 per cent) are the other factors that have amplified the cause, states the study.

"The rise of the heartburns portrays the story of social change in urban India where long working hours and erratic lifestyle have made it harder for people to prepare balanced meals at home, increasing the appeal of fast food and on-the-go snacks. There is a rise in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and we see that people who are obese have irregular eating habits, take painkillers, alcohol and smoke are the worst hit," said Dr. Anoop Misra, Senior Consultant (Medicine) at Fortis Hospital.