MANY people wear belts everyday, but few know the risks these accessories pose if they’re worn in the wrong size, or bought from a bad-quality manufacturer.

Wearing a tight belt every day may cause lower back pain, heartburn, discomfort, and even immune complications. The manufacturing process can also play a role in avoiding rashes and other allergic reactions.

Find out what health issues might sneak up on you from wearing a bad belt and how to prevent them.

Acid reflux (Heartburn)

Wearing your belt too tight puts pressure to the stomach, which causes acid to reflux and make its way to the throat. The result causes a burning sensation in the stomach, chest and throat, and a bitter, acidic taste in your mouth.

A medical study carried out by the University of Glasgow revealed that there are some links between wearing your belt too tight and symptoms that can lead to throat cancer. However, for those of you who are worried about cancer, the United Kingdom’s National Health Service has dismissed this study, calling it unnecessary alarmist.

Abdominal Pain

Using a tight belt can disturb the digestive flow, slowing down the whole process. Pressure makes it difficult for gas and food to move down. This often leads to bloating, pain and constipation.

Lower back and spinal pain

Recent research has shown that increased pressure in the abdomen can cause stiffness in the spine and stress on the back. If the belt is too tight and low riding, it causes nerve compression in the back.

Leg tingling and numbness

Not only can tight belts be uncomfortable (especially after a big meal), but they can cause burning pain, numbness, sensitivity at a light touch, and tingling in the legs.

This condition is known as meralgia paresthetica. The cause is exactly what a tight belt would do: put pressure on a nerve which runs from your abdomen to your lower outer thigh.

Reproductive system damage

Tight belts affect the reproductive function for men and women alike.

Reduced air access and increased temperature lead to “heat castration”. This manifests through overheating of the private parts and increased humidity — concerning risks for infectious diseases.

Immune system damage

Applying pressure on your abdomen with a belt can complicate the immune system’s normal way of functioning. Blood vessels below the stomach take care of the lymphatic drainage. If the belt is too tight on the waist, it slows down the lymph flow, which then directly interferes with the immune system’s effectiveness.

Solution

The solution to all these problems is simple. All you need to do is remember that after every meal, the stomach needs to relax. So, just loosen the belt after meals to avoid putting extra pressure on your stomach.

Your belt size

To properly measure for a good belt size, go two sizes up your normal size, or two inches extra compared to your waist size.

Allergies to belts

Even if you wear the right size belt, which you properly measured, it it also possible to get allergic reactions to belt buckles and fabrics if you don’t know when and by whom they were produced.

Allergies to metal belt buckles

People often experience a rash when wearing belts that come with big buckles. This condition is known as belt buckle rash, and takes place when the person is allergic to certain metal alloys that contain nickel.

Nickel is one of the most common causes for allergic contact dermatitis, and is used in the production of cheap belt buckles.

Fabric chemicals

If you don’t know where and how your belt was produced, you might be experiencing exposure to belts that have been chemically treated or produced with cheap leather substitutes.

Always find out what is the type of material used in the manufacturing process. A report from Greenpeace detailed the toxic chemicals used in clothes from fast fashion chains.

The solutions to allergy problems would be to buy locally sourced accessories and seek out manufacturers whose production practices are transparent.

Try to avoid metals that aren’t hypoallergenic and might be inappropriate for your skin. Belts without nickel in their buckles may be worth looking up.

The health hazards of wearing the wrong belt should not be “hazards” at all. Risks can be easily avoided by taking some elementary precaution measures, the simplest being: loosen up! Always buy good-quality belts from local manufacturers and try them on before making the purchase.

This piece was contributed by Belts From OZ, a family-owned business from Melbourne, Australia. The team makes high-quality genuine leather belts and a range of enameled and plain pewter belt buckles, using only real genuine Australian and Italian leather.