What vitamins can cause heartburn?
His listeners have named fish oil, magnesium, probiotics and a cleanse. He does not single out any one vitamin. He looks at the stomach.
A listener named Carol asked about common reflux triggers like garlic, onions, lemon and coffee. His bottom line:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 884Don't worry about the triggers. Fix the cause you don't have enough acidity in your stomach.
He says the same about supplements: a vitamin that burns is pointing at the stomach.
Why do my vitamins give me heartburn?
Because the stomach is short of acid, he says, not overloaded.
What he says happens when the stomach runs low:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 884And when you don't have enough acidity, guess what happens? You get a reflux, you get the reflux coming in, either through the valve where the valve won't close properly, or you can damage that valve.
He calls reflux acid in the wrong place:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 825If you got trouble with acid reflux, it's not because you have too much acid. You literally have acid in the wrong place, but it's not because you have too much.
When acid runs low, he says, the stomach's little acid pumps work harder and some of it escapes upward. For painful reflux, read what he recommends for painful acid reflux and indigestion.
"The number one cause of acid reflux is low acidity in your stomach, not high acidity, it's low acidity."
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1188Can fish oil give you heartburn or burping?
It can, for a few people. He says most people get no burping from it.
On the burping some people get:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1035Some people take DHA and they get the burping, most people don't.
A listener named Beth said coffee and DHA fish oil gave her husband heartburn. He said it was not the coffee and not the fish oil:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1106Rob, you got a problem with digestion.
He did not tell Rob to give up either one. Fix your stomach first, he told him, because you need your DHA: here is why he wants DHA for women over 60.
Can magnesium or probiotics cause reflux?
A listener named Susanna got a tickle in her throat from magnesium, and from probiotics too. He read it as low stomach acid.
His answer:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 920Well, generally, if you're getting some phlegm tickle in your throat, you got low acidity in your stomach. That's usually what it means.
He told her it could be silent reflux. His focus was her stomach, not the magnesium.
How he describes silent reflux:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1092So you can get a silent acid reflux. I've talked about that. It's silent. You're not getting any burning, you don't feel it, but you're getting a lot of phlegm and you're coughing and you're, we call it a silent acid reflux. Very, very common.
He talks about magnesium constantly: here is why so many women over 60 run low in magnesium.
Should you take your vitamins with food?
Yes, if they upset your stomach. That is his usual answer.
To a listener named Susan, who got burping from a cleanse she was taking:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1035Well for you it might, it doesn't ordinarily. Take it with food. Take it with food.
On taking your supplements before you have eaten:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1715If you find that you might get a little regurgitation doing it, some people got a sensitive stomach or whatever, then take it with food.
And on people whose stomachs will not handle supplements alone:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 577And some people just find they can't take any supplements without eating and that's all right.
He was answering a question about probiotics, but his point covers any supplement.
Why is heartburn worse at night?
Partly because you are lying down and not moving, he says.
On heartburn at night:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 838Same reason, and you're lying down. And even if you elevate yourself, I'm not against that, elevate your pillow, if that helps you, good.
His rule if you have reflux:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 920If you have acid reflux, don't eat at night. This thing about snacking all the time is nonsense.
So take an evening vitamin with supper, not with a bedtime snack.
What lowers stomach acid?
Sugar, more than anything, in his view.
His warning to anyone with a sweet tooth:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 747A lot of people because they're carboholics and they love their sugar, there's nothing that will destroy the acidity in your stomach like sugar does. Sugar destroys your acidity.
He wants the stomach strongly acidic, because that acid breaks down your food. The same acid mix-up is part of why digestion slows down after 60.
"Your acidity in your stomach is on your side. Do you understand that? It's on your side."
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1140Does low stomach acid affect your vitamins?
Yes. He says you can swallow a mineral and still not absorb it.
To a listener asking about iodine:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 884If you don't have enough stomach acidity, even your trace minerals, you're not going to absorb them. You might be eating them, but you're not going to absorb them.
B12 is the vitamin he singles out:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 699And if you got acid reflux, and you got low acidity in your stomach, and you got digestive issues, you're not absorbing B12 very well.
He adds that seniors often do not absorb nutrients the way they used to. Read whether B12 is worth it for a woman over 60.
Do acid reducers lower B12 and magnesium?
He says they do, because they lower the acid you need to absorb them.
On a study of PPIs, the drugs that lower stomach acid:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 825But they're showing you're not absorbing magnesium. You're not absorbing B-12. That is essential.
And on magnesium:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1334Your stomach acidity, and when you're on medications to reduce acidity, guess what? You're not absorbing magnesium.
If you take an antacid or an acid reducer, any change to it is your doctor's call. What you can do is ask your doctor to test your B12 and magnesium.
Is it heartburn or your heart?
You cannot tell for sure on your own, so do not guess.
He knows how frightening reflux can feel:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 574A lot of people think they're even having a heart attack when they get acid reflux.
Never assume chest pain is just heartburn. If it is new or severe, or comes with shortness of breath, sweating, or pain in your arm, jaw or back, call 911. If heartburn keeps coming back, see your doctor.
Hear him answer it on the show
Episode 884 is a listener Q&A show. Carol's reflux question comes about halfway through.
Common questions
Can biotin cause acid reflux?
He does not link biotin to reflux. For any vitamin that burns, his advice stays the same: take it with food and look at the stomach. When he talks about biotin, it is about hair, and he says he has never seen anyone overdose on it. Episode 833.
Can low magnesium cause acid reflux?
Not as the main cause, in his view. He says low magnesium can be an effect of reflux and could be a factor, but the number one cause is low stomach acid. Episode 1188.
Is apple cider vinegar good for low stomach acid?
He suggests a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar for a short time, to help the acidity in the stomach. Episode 1140. Dilute it in water, and stop if it makes the burn worse.
Read next: What Is Really Behind Bloating After 60 and What Supplements Should A 65 Year Old Woman Take?
Give your stomach some backup
His answer to a vitamin that burns is to look after the stomach. Ultra Digest-All is the clinic's digestive enzyme formula, three enzyme blends that work on protein, carbs and fat to support natural digestion. It is support for digestion, not a heartburn medicine.
60-day money-back guarantee. If you take anything for reflux, check with your doctor before adding it.
