Lifestyle Changes That Deliver Heartburn Relief
A new study identifies what really helps
Nearly 30 percent of adults in the U.S. cope with frequent heartburn and acid reflux, hallmarks of gastroesophageal reflux disease, better known as GERD. Once thought of as a condition that mostly affects older people, some research suggests that the incidence is increasing among those under 40.
Doctors typically suggest making lifestyle changes to help reduce the frequency and severity of GERD before trying medications that help block or reduce the acid production that leads to symptoms. But up to now, there hasn’t been much hard evidence to back up those recommendations. A new study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, is the first to quantify the significant relief that diet and lifestyle changes can deliver.
“Doctors have been casual about recommending lifestyle modifications, thinking they may have some benefits, but now we know that changing behaviors can have a dramatic impact,” says Andrew T. Chan, MD, chief of the clinical and translational epidemiology unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and one of the study's authors.
What the Study Found
The 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 at least weekly.
How to Get the Biggest Benefit
“I’ve long recommended these and other lifestyle modifications to my patients,” says Christine Lee, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic. “The results of this study help give those recommendations specific parameters and add more weight to their importance.”
The researchers found that adhering to all five lifestyle modifications reduced symptoms the most. Many of these behaviors are linked, so it’s not surprising that the more of them you follow, the better your results. “Staying physically active helps you maintain a healthy body weight, as does eating a healthy diet,” Lee says. “Both of those factors also help you avoid constipation, a condition that worsens reflux symptoms.”
But each lifestyle factor the researchers looked at had its own independent effect on GERD. Of the five, maintaining a healthy BMI provided the greatest benefit. Compared with those who were overweight, those with a BMI of less than 25 experienced 31 percent less GERD. “Obesity and being overweight are important risk factors for reflux,” Chan says. “There are mechanical changes in the body as a result of carrying excess weight, and obesity may also affect how the gastrointestinal tract cycles food through your system.” So if you’re going to pick one change to focus on, make it weight loss.