Heartburn: Spot your personal triggers

Doctors call it reflux. You probably call it heartburn. But whatever it's called, no-one wants to experience the unpleasant sensations of heartburn - a burning chest pain that moves up towards the throat, and an acid or bitter taste accompanied by a feeling that whatever you just ate is coming back into your mouth or throat. The basic problem that causes reflux symptoms is the rising up into the gullet (oesophagus) of stomach acid. Whereas the stomach lining is designed to resist acid attack, the oesophagus is not.

Almost everyone has had heartburn from time to time - maybe at Christmas, after over indulging on Turkey and Christmas pudding, and a few glasses of wine, and then slumping on the sofa to watch the television. Between 10% and 20% of the UK population will have reflux at least once a week. Some, who have severe persistent heartburn, may have a more serious condition called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, or GORD, which can contribute to a wide range of other health problems including a precancerous condition called Barrett's oesophagus.

One key to controlling heartburn is to know your personal triggers. Although some foods and lifestyle habits are common heartburn triggers, they don't affect all people the same way. One person with heartburn can happily eat citrus fruit, while another ends up feeling miserable less than an hour after a big glass of orange juice.

Here are three ways to start identifying your personal heartburn triggers.

1. Know the common causes of heartburn

Here are the top foods and behaviours that are most commonly linked to heartburn:

• Eating large meals, eating later in the day and eating fatty foods. These "top three" triggers affect almost everyone who has heartburn, says Dr Charlene Prather, a gastroenterologist (a specialist in treating problems of the digestive system)
• Chocolate. Unfortunately this one is also reasonably consistent, affecting most people with heartburn
• Coffee and caffeinated drinks. "Some people have trouble with coffee and caffeine, while others don't", says Prather
• Citrus products such as oranges and orange juice. While caffeine actually induces reflux, says Prather, citrus just mimics the feeling because of its acidity
• Garlic, onions and other spicy foods
• Tomatoes. "They tend to be more of a problem when they're cooked than when they're raw, but both can bring on heartburn", Prather says
• Alcohol. All types of alcohol can trigger heartburn, but red wine apparently is particularly troublesome for some people
• Heavy lifting. Any excess pressure on the stomach can cause the naturally acidic stomach juices to rise up into the chest. Reduce the problem by breaking down big loads into smaller ones. Your back will also be grateful
• Stooping. Bending down a lot - such as in gardening - tips stomach acid into the oesophagus. Reduce the problem by kneeling first, rather than bending down from the hip