Could There Be A Real Purpose For Heartburn?

Think about all the radio and TV ads for heartburn relief you’ve heard over the years.  Some more entertaining than others — "I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!" — and some products more effective than others. While heartburn literally can be a pain, it may once have served a healthful purpose.

Researchers at North Carolina State University took to nature to find clues to heartburn and the modern man. They looked at stomach acidity in 68 species of birds and mammals and compared those findings to the natural feeding habits of each species.

They discovered that the critters that ate foods with a high risk of microbial contamination tended to have higher concentrations of acid in their stomachs — sort of nature’s own antimicrobial defense. They then discovered that human stomachs have high acidity levels more commonly associated with scavenger-type creatures, suggesting heartburn — by way of acid — may be part of our bodies' natural antimicrobial defenses going a bit haywire.

Researchers say their analysis raises significant questions about how humans have evolved, our species' relationship with food over time and how modern changes in diet and medicine are affecting our health. (Daily Mail)