Acid reflux, a condition that affects so many people globally and yet so many people sit and suffer in silence. There are many ways in which you can cure acid reflux but before you can do this, what causes acid reflux must be understood first and the condition must be diagnosed by a medical professional.

The causes of acid reflux vary from person to person but some of the most known and more recognised causes are:

• High acidity in daily food intake

• Weakened LES valve between the stomach and the oesophagus

• Abnormalities within the oesophagus

Any of the above cause of acid reflux is in turn caused by various different issues and starting with the first cause - high acidity in daily food intake; it should be further looked into.

Foods that are high in acidity generally include certain fruits such as oranges and apples, vinegar and also high caffeinated products. Again, this could be made worse in turn by various movements after eating such as bending over, lifting heavy materials and also sleeping.

Moving onto the second point, the weakening of the LES valve between the stomach and the oesophagus can also be one of the factors which define what causes acid reflux. Smoking can help to make this valve weaker as can drugs and other substances as well as poor diet.

The way in which the LES valve works is by stopping acid leaking out into the oesophagus but letting food in at the same time, so when it is weakened, the food is still let in but the acid has more of a chance of leaking out.

With abnormalities within the oesophagus, there are two main reasons and one of which normally happens mostly within males. This is referred to as adult-ringed oesophagus and is typically recognised by food getting stuck within the throat an awful lot. There are multiple rings in the oesophagus with this problem and can enable the acid to be leaked from the stomach.

The second cause of this is generalised by abnormal muscle actions within the oesophagus and this can be another of the answers to fill in the question - What causes acid reflux?

Abnormal stomach functions have been proven in many clinical studies as to a cause of GERD or acid reflux. The muscles are unable to react in the way that they should which in turn leads to the stomach not being able to remove food or digest the food in a fast enough manner, causing a back up of acid which can then lead to acid reflux.

With regards to what causes acid reflux, all of the above could be a contributing factor and among the most popular reasons for this is poor diet, smoking and excessive alcohol as well as being overweight, not exercising enough and also being stressed. By working out which of these things are the main causes for your condition, you can help to eliminate the issue while maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle.