By: Jean Johnson for Reflux1After getting diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) last fall, Kathleen Brown received no nutritional counseling. Still, she’s made discoveries on her own that mirror the latest word.
“Bean and vegetable soups don’t cause much problem,” Brown said. “And I when I do eat heavy starchy things like a hamburger or waffles, I eat very slowly and moderately. Also, when I eat those kinds of foods, if I get the warning pressure in my chest that comes before I get choked and short of breath, I stop immediately and don’t take a last bite.”
While the study, published in the January issue of the journal Gut didn’t address the speed at which patients with reflux eat, it did point to high-fiber diets as being effective in decreasing symptoms. Thus, in addition to being good for the heart and colon, diets of whole grains, whole-grain breads, fruits, vegetables, beans, and legumes, and less fat, were shown to reduce chronic heartburn by 20 percent.
Scientists at Houston’s Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Administration Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine studied 371 employees of the VA Center. Questions concerning onset, frequency, and severity of symptoms were posed and histories of dietary habits including food types and portion sizes were obtained. Participants were also offered endoscopy where “erosion of the esophagus was seen more frequently in those that had significantly greater daily intakes of total fat and protein.”
Reflux is characterized by symptoms of acid indigestion and can sometimes be mistaken for a heart attack. If not treated, reflux can lead to problems with the esophagus including ulcers, bleeding and cancer.
As many as one in five Americans suffer from the problem, and instances of the disorder are on the rise in the population, where high-calorie, high-fat diets are predisposing factors. Still, researchers found that even in obese patients, high fiber diets worked to minimize symptoms.
Other steps patients with reflux can take to ease chronic heartburn include eating in a calm atmosphere, wearing clothing that’s loose around the waist, waiting two to three hours after eating to lie down, and using an extra pillow when sleeping.
Thus, the good news: If New Year’s resolutions to lose weight have already gotten a bit wobbly, simply making better choices and eating off lower rungs of the food chain will help minimize problems associated with reflux.
