Heartburn is one of the most common health concerns, with people generally attributing it to indigestion. It may not occur to you that heartburn could be a serious threat to your wellness, but research is now showing that recurrent heartburn could increase your risk of developing throat cancer.
In addition to throat cancer, regular heartburn may leave you more at risk of developing cancer of the vocal cords, but fortunately antacids may offer you some protection from developing these diseases.
Conducted by Brown University , the study looked at 631 people who were suffering from cancer of the throat or vocal cords, and then compared these people to a group of 1,234 people who were not currently suffering from cancer. After looking intensively at the two groups of people, the researchers published a study in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, which highlighted the fact that those with gastric reflux (also known as acid reflux) suffer from symptoms of heartburn, which may in turn cause them to develop these two types of cancer.
The people in the study did not have other risk factors for throat cancer such as heavy smoking or drinking, but they had all experienced frequent heartburn in the course of their lifetime. This appeared to make them 78 percent more likely to develop cancer of the vocal cord or throat, when compared to those who have never suffered from heartburn.
Antacids, which help to cool the acidic effects of gastric reflux, may improve your wellbeing by counteracting this effect and are available over the counter for the most part.
Gastric reflux usually occurs when the valve that is supposed to separate the contents of the stomach from the gullet above is weak or faulty. This allows the products of digestion – namely acid – to rise up into this pipe, causing a feeling burning pain and discomfort in the back of the mouth and the throat.