Thaindian News

By Meena Kar
Jan 14, (THAINDIAN NEWS) All those who suffer from heartburn, which may also be termed as GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease, can now leave a sign of relief, as they have a better and perhaps a cheaper solution to combat the disease. One need not resort to expensive medication and painful therapies anymore, instead they can just hit their nearest departmental store and grab their favorite pack of chewing gum, as study says that a chewing gum or two, after breakfast, can help in reducing the wrath of the disease.

According to a study conducted by the St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, chewing gum helps in forcing certain fluids into the stomach to generate excessive alkaline saliva in the esophagus. Alkaline saliva negates the effects of those acids that cause burning sensations in the body, thereby fighting heartburn. The researchers took 31 random subjects who suffered from heartburn and for two days, they were provided with a ‘refluxogenic’ lunch that consisted of full-fat cheddar cheese, green salad with extra mayonnaise, a pint of full-fat milk and 15 large chips. On both the days, they randomly selected a few out of these subjects, and gave them sugar-free gum, after the meal. After testing them two hours following the meal, they found that the level of acids that cause burning sensations, have reduced significantly. However, there were no significant changes amongst those who did not chew the gums.

Yet another study also yielded the same result. This study was conducted by Veterans Affairs hospitals in New Mexico and Illinois, with the help of American Digestive Health Foundation. They tested 36 people with the disease and came to the conclusion that chewing a sugarless gum for an hour after having a mighty breakfast, reduces the quantity of reflux to relieve the patients from heartburns.