The IAA One Minute Blog

A new study published in the journal “JAMA Internal Medicine” says that diet and lifestyle changes can provide significant heartburn relief.

New Study

Researchers analyzed data collected every four years between 2005 and 2017 from the long-running Nurse’s Health Study. That included information from nearly 43,000 women, ages 42 to 62 years, who reported having acid reflux or heartburn also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), at least weekly.

They found that those who adhered to five “anti-reflux lifestyle factors,” saw a 50 percent reduction in the risk of GERD symptoms, and that adhering to all five could prevent nearly 40 percent of GERD cases in the general population. The modifications include:

1. No smoking
2. Drinking fewer than two cups a day of coffee, tea or soda
3. Following a healthy diet, one that is high in whole grains and low in red meat and added sugars
4. Getting at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise daily
5. Not being overweight, defined as maintaining a body mass index below 25

Not smoking and limiting coffee, tea and soda intake to two servings or less per day reduced the risk of symptoms among study participants by 10 percent, the data showed.

Maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly lowered the study participants risk for the condition by about 20 percent, the researchers said.

Keeping a healthy body weight dropped the incidence of symptoms by 40 percent. 

Help Ease Your Symptoms

Heartburn is a burning pain in your chest, just behind your breastbone. The pain is often worse after eating, in the evening or when lying down or bending over. To make symptoms easier:

1. Don’t go to bed with a full stomach: Eat meals at least two to three hours before lying down. This will give food time to digest and get out of your stomach. Acid levels will also go down before you put your body in a position where heartburn is most likely to occur.
2. Don’t overeat: Eat smaller portions at mealtime.
3. Eat slowly: Take time to eat.
4. Avoid heartburn triggers: Avoid foods and drinks that can bring on heartburn symptoms.
5. Shed some pounds
6. Stop smoking: The nicotine in cigarettes can weaken a part of your body called your lower esophageal sphincter. That muscle controls the opening between your esophagus and your stomach. When it is closed, it keeps acid and other things in your stomach from going back up.
7. Avoid alcohol

Nearly 30 percent of adults in the United States cope with frequent heartburn and acid reflux. Once thought of as a condition that mostly affects older people, some research suggests that the incidence is increasing among those less than 40 years of age.

What IAA has to Say

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