Q. It’s puzzling to me that, during the day, I can eat anything, and I never get heartburn. However, about two to three hours after eating dinner (not overeating), I start to get heartburn. So, I reach for my Rolaids. Two or three usually work and my heartburn is gone. This routine is repeated almost every day and has been for over two years. Is that a problem?

A. A lot depends on your diet. If you are eating a high-carbohydrate meal at dinner, it may be triggering heartburn (Digestive Diseases and Sciences, August 2006). You might try cutting the carbs so you’d need less antacid.

There are various Rolaids formulations. Many contain a combination of calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide, but the dose varies. Too much calcium carbonate over a long period of time has been linked to an

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