Heartburn and other gastrointestinal disturbances can derail or ruin a run. For endurance athletes, these issues could be the difference between running a personal best time in a race and just finishing.
Gastroesophageal Reflux
Heartburn is caused by gastroesophageal reflux, the backup of stomach acid into the esophagus.
In a study conducted by Dr. Donald O. Castell, then professor at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., he found acid reflux to be greater during running than biking or weightlifting. This is likely to due the greater agitation of stomach acids during running.
Fluids
A study conducted by Utrecht University on gastroesophageal reflux during a run-bike-run test found that reflux was greater during rest periods after sports drink consumption than after water consumption. However, heartburn was reported by athletes that consumed only water and only sports drink while running.
Upper vs. Lower Gastrointestinal Symptoms
In research conducted by the University of Western Ontario, lower gastrointestinal symptoms (like diarrhea) were caused by running and the lifestyle of runners. Conversely, upper gastrointestinal symptoms (like heartburn) were not caused by running alone.
Heartburn was found to occur with many of the participants when not running.
According to the Mayo Clinic, certain foods can trigger heartburn in some people. These foods include alcohol, ketchup and caffeine.
Gender
In a Queen's University study on gastrointestinal disturbances in marathon runners, women experienced more upper gastrointestinal problems than men.
Effort
In the same Queen's University study, it was found that gastrointestinal symptoms occurred more often during hard runs (runs of greater effort) than easy runs (runs at leisurely paces).
Tags: gastrointestinal symptoms, caused running, during running, found that, gastroesophageal reflux, gastrointestinal disturbances