Table of contents:
- Fried foods cause coughing due to increased stomach acid
- Fried causes the cough to get worse
- The difference between the increase in stomach acid in LPR and GERD
The throat often feels itchy and sore after eating too much fried food. Before long, a sore throat will be followed by a persistent cough. Therefore, many have concluded that eating too much fried food can cause coughing. In fact, medically speaking, foods that are fried in a lot of oil are not the direct cause of coughs. However, fried foods can trigger a mechanism in the body that causes coughing. What is the mechanism like?
Fried foods cause coughing due to increased stomach acid
A cough, whether it's a cough with phlegm or a dry cough, is a common symptom of colds and flu caused by viral infections of the upper respiratory tract. However, coughs can also be caused by health problems that do not originate in the respiratory system. One common condition that causes coughing for months or chronic coughs is acid reflux into the esophagus or GERD.
Consumption of fried foods and other foods that are fried in a lot of oil can also increase the risk of developing stomach acid which causes coughing. However, the increase in stomach acid due to fried food is slightly different from GERD. Greasy foods aggravate a common condition in the body known as Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR).
As described by the American Family of Physicians, LPR is a common inflammatory disorder that occurs in the upper respiratory tract and is caused by the build-up of stomach acid down the throat. So, how is the mechanism of acid coming from the digestive tract up to the throat?
In the esophagus or esophagus there are two sphincters or smooth, ring-shaped muscles. This muscle works by opening and closing the digestive tract. These two smooth muscles are located at the bottom and top of the esophagus. Its function is to prevent food from the digestive tract up into the airway. When you have LPR what happens is these two sphincters are weakened so they don't open and close as they should. As a result, acid from the stomach rises to the throat.
Unlike the stomach and esophagus, the throat is more sensitive to acids. As a result, stomach acid that rises from eating fried foods causes irritation of the throat, causing inflammation that causes itching and sore throat, as well as a cough reflex.
The cough reflex itself functions to clear the throat of irritating acids.
Fried causes the cough to get worse
In addition to aggravating the condition of LPR, causing coughing, cooking oil that is used repeatedly to process fried foods can also exacerbate inflammation that occurs in the throat due to LPR.
According to one study in Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society, cooking oil that is heated repeatedly (to more than 180 degrees Celsius) beyond its hot point will cause the formation of acrolein compounds. It is a compound that results from burning linolenic fatty acids, which are the main ingredients of cooking oil.
When fried foods are consumed, acrolein can irritate the walls of the throat so that the inflammation caused by LPR gets worse and the cough gets worse. Therefore, fried foods are a prohibited type of food when coughing because they can cause the symptoms to get worse.
The difference between the increase in stomach acid in LPR and GERD
The incidence of acid reflux in LPR and GERD is similar, but they have different effects. This difference can be seen directly from the characteristics of the symptoms that appear.
Unlike in LPR, stomach acid in GERD only rises from the stomach to the esophagus, not reaching the throat. Therefore, generally a cough due to GERD is also accompanied by digestive problems such as a burning pain (heartburn) in the gut, flatulence, belching, and colic ailments. Not infrequently, the type of prolonged cough due to GERD makes coughing up nausea and vomiting.
Meanwhile, the increase in stomach acid in the LPR mechanism does not cause indigestion at all. Fried foods that aggravate the LPR condition causing symptoms such as itching and burning in the throat, persistent cough, hoarseness, and a bitter taste on the tongue. In more severe conditions, inflammation can lead to the appearance of festering glands or aggravate recurring reactions to asthma and sinusitis.
Fried does not directly cause coughing, but it is one of the factors that causes you to have the potential to cough. Therefore, limit fried foods and other foods that trigger LPR such as spicy and sour foods, alcohol, coffee, chocolate, and soft drinks.
