Eaten heavy? Here are the remedies

Sometimes it happens to overeat or to exaggerate with calories. In case of a binge, antacids can help the stomach, facilitating digestion.

Eating regularly, combining foods correctly and avoiding excesses are the fundamental rules to avoid running into problems of poor digestion. But sometimes it happens to exaggerate a little and need a remedy to repair the damage already done.

The main consequences of a meal that is too heavy are heaviness, bloating, drowsiness, slowed reflexes and poor concentration and, often, acidity and heartburn. Antacids and other pharmaceutical remedies can help counteract these symptoms.

The reasons for stomach acid

Fatty foods and frying, perhaps not chewed well enough, weigh down and can cause hyperacidity. In fact, abundant and high-fat meals slow down the transit of food in the stomach and duodenum.

This leads to a change in gastric pH due to excessive secretion of hydrochloric acid, a fundamental component of gastric juice that is produced in the presence of food in the stomach.

The most frequent consequence is a burning sensation that can extend from the stomach to the throat and neck. Sometimes this hyperacidity can be associated with bloating and abdominal stiffness, constipation, nausea, acid regurgitation and even headaches.

The situation is even worse if you also overdo it with coffee, spicy or spicy foods and alcohol, which stimulate the production of acid by the stomach and increase the risk of gastric reflux.

Buffer or prevent?

The simplest remedy to calm heartburn is to take antacids. These are substances that react with hydrochloric acid, neutralizing it. They usually come in the form of tablets or granules.

For example, preparations containing calcium carbonate and magnesium quickly neutralize hyperacidity, and are effective remedies to facilitate digestion.

An alternative solution is offered by a class of drugs that is able to interfere with the production of hydrochloric acid. These are the proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), among which the best known are omeprazole and pantoprazole.

These molecules block the activity of the enzyme (the proton pump), responsible for secreting hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Their use is particularly indicated when excessive acidity can cause strong and recurrent symptoms, such as heartburn and acid regurgitation.

Above all, do not overdo it

These remedies are very useful in all cases in which you have not been too careful about what you have eaten but, as always when you rely on drugs, you should not abuse them.

In particular, too frequent or incorrect use of antacids could cause diarrhea, constipation or changes in the acid-base balance of the blood.

It would be better to prevent, feeding properly so as not to favor an excessive production of hydrochloric acid.