Is vinegar good for heartburn?
Heartburn can be caused by a number of things. Most commonly heartburn is caused by over activity in the stomach, specifically too much acid. Another common cause of heartburn is Acid Reflux. While too much acid is a result of poor eating habits, such as an excess of acidic food, over eating, or just eating too quickly, acid reflux (or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), is a problem than anyone can have, even those that eat properly.
Your stomach has a lining in it that protects itself from hydrochloric acid (stomach acid), the top of your stomach also has a muscle that prevents the acid from escaping the stomach, the lower esophageal sphincter. People who have acid reflux have a malfunctioning lower esophageal sphincter, which allows the acid to escape into the esophagus, which is not protected from stomach acid. The acid burning the esophagus is called heartburn.
Since vinegar is an acid it will no reduce the acid levels in your stomach and esophagus, thus it is the exact opposite thing to do to cure heartburn; however, in some older people the stomach produces less stomach acid than it used to. If the stomach acid in your system is too low it is possible to have heartburn symptoms. If this is the case then a small amount of vinegar can be helpful.
It will not be harmful to have vinegar once to test which version of heartburn you have, but it is it the more common type, too much acid, the vinegar will probably make things worse. Have some Rolaids, or Tums handy if you want to try it.
