The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation

The holidays are a wonderful time of year when family and friends can gather together and enjoy an abundant feast filled with our favorite foods.  Certain habits, however, can cause some unwanted holiday heartburn.

While occasional heartburn is not typically a cause for concern, as billions of Americans experience heartburn at some point in their lives, heartburn that occurs more than twice weekly should not be taken lightly, as it could be an indicator of GERD.    GERD stands for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease which is a disease of the digestive system.

Learn how to enjoy the holidays and all of the delicious foods while managing your acid reflux symptoms.  Here are a few tips for you to take with you to the holiday dinner table:

1. Limit beverage consumption while eating.  Sometimes fluids, especially carbonated beverages, can cause more gas in the stomach when combined with food intake. Try to drink slowly after you are done eating.

2. Monitor what you are eating and avoid foods that trigger acid reflux.  Foods that have the worse effects on acid reflux are spicy, fatty, fried and citrus foods. Food and drinks that trigger GERD symptoms vary from person to person, so it is important to know your body and determine which are best for you.

3. Limit or avoid alcohol.  There are some people, however, who should avoid all alcohol consumption, as even the smallest amounts can cause acid reflux. Alcohol increases the production of stomach acids. Alcohol also relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the muscle that is in charge of keeping stomach contents from refluxing into the esophagus.

4. Don’t over-eat.  Ask for a smaller plate, take a small sample from each dish and choose “safe” foods that you’ve predetermined do not flare up your acid reflux symptoms. When you’re feeling tempted to overindulge, ask yourself “Is having that second helping of pumpkin pie worth the hours of pain and misery due to the acid reflux afterwards?”

5. Chew slowly. Help your digestive system by chewing every bite slowly and thoroughly. Put your fork down in between bites to help remind yourself to go slow while eating.

6. Wear loose clothing. Clothing which is tight especially around the mid-section can put extra pressure on the abdomen and increase acid reflux symptoms.

7. Sit upright for several hours after you’ve eaten. Or better yet, take a leisurely family stroll around the neighborhood to help settle your stomach and aid digestion. Avoid any rigorous exercise, as it can upset the digestion process and cause reflux symptoms.

8. Pass on the after-dinner coffee.  For some, coffee can increase acid reflux and cause symptoms to flare up.  Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee have shown to aggravate GERD symptoms.

9. Ditch all tobacco products.  Tobacco, including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco and pipe tobacco not only worsens GERD symptoms, but it can cause people to develop GERD.   Like alcohol, tobacco weakens the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and increases stomach acids.

Also known as acid reflux disease, GERD is a progressive disease, which means that it worsens overtime, especially if it is not properly treated.  The reflux of acids from the stomach damages the lining of the esophagus and can cause major health problems, including an increased risk of esophageal cancer. Speak to your doctor if you are experiencing frequent or chronic heartburn or if your acid reflux symptoms are worsening.

If you, or someone you know, has GERD, RefluxMD has put together an eBook that is surely a must-read!  To download a FREE copy of “I Have GERD, Now What?”, click here.

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Before reaching for that daily antacid, you might consider what it’s doing to the trillions of bugs living in your gut. A new Mayo Clinic study in the open access journal Microbiome shows that people who regularly take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have less diversity among their gut bacteria, putting them at increased risk for infections like clostridium difficile and pneumonia, in addition to vitamin deficiencies and bone fractures.

“Evidence has been mounting for years that long-term use of proton pump inhibitors poses increased risks for a variety of associated complications, but we have never really understood why,” says John DiBaise, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist and senior author on the study. “What this study does for the first time is demonstrate a plausible explanation for these associated conditions.”

The gut microbiome consists of trillions of bacteria. Rather than causing disease, most of these bacteria are friendly and aid in everything from digestion and vitamin synthesis to immune system regulation and possibly, mood stabilization.

Diet, genetics and environmental exposure all play a role in maintaining a healthy microbiome, which is critical to overall wellness, says Dr. DiBaise. Significant changes to the microbiome, like those caused by proton pump inhibitors, can put people at risk for over-colonization by such undesirable species as clostridium difficile, he says.

Proton pump inhibitors are primarily used to treat ulcers and acid reflux, and include the generic names omeprazole, pantoprazole, esomeprazole, lansoprazole, rabeprazole and dexlansoprazole.

Many epidemiological studies have linked PPIs to nutritional, metabolic and infectious disorders, despite the class of drugs’ long history of safety and efficacy. Specifically, their prolonged use has been associated with iron and vitamin B12 deficiencies, hypomagnesemia, osteoporosis-related fractures, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and community-acquired pneumonia. The Food and Drug Administration has issued several safety communications about use of high-dose PPIs (available through prescription) and long-term use at any dose, including over-the-counter medications.

Safety implications of the study have yet to be determined, and patients should consult a qualified medical professional before changing any drug regimen, says Dr. DiBaise.

“We’re not saying people should stop taking their regular antacids; despite the many health risks associated with PPI use, they have an extensive track record of safety when used as directed,” Dr. DiBaise says. “What we are saying is that the medical and research communities should consider these medications in the context of the patient’s microbiome. This is an area that needs further study.”

In patients with mild reflux symptoms, lifestyle changes may be sufficient to curb discomfort, Dr. DiBaise says. Non-pharmacological methods to control acid reflux include:

• Eat smaller portions at meals
• Consume less fat
• Avoid laying down for at least 2 hours after eating (avoid late-night snacks)
• Wear loose fitting clothing
• Elevate the head of the bed about 6 inches (this is best done by placing a block under the headboard, rather than stacking pillows)
• Lose weight (as little as 5 to 10 pounds may help)
• Avoid alcohol, tobacco and foods that trigger symptoms

Daily medications become necessary in those whose reflux symptoms persist and impair their quality of life despite these lifestyle modifications, says Dr. DiBaise. Whether less potent acid inhibitors like histamine H2 antagonists, cause similar changes to the microbiome is unknown.

Coauthors of the study are Charlie Seto of the University of Minnesota, and Patricio Jeraldo, Ph.D., Robert Orenstein, D.O., and Nicholas Chia, Ph.D., all of Mayo Clinic.

The study was funded by the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine and the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics. Dr. Jeraldo received funding for this project from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The above story is based on materials provided by Mayo Clinic. The original article was written by Sam Smith.

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