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This will not be a popular blog post for those who enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or an ice cold beer at the ballgame. However, I should make you aware that there are conflicting studies about the connection between acid reflux and alcohol. Some believe that alcohol contributes to acid reflux by relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter (the body part that closes off the esophagus from the stomach) so it gets lazy and lets the contents back up.
In addition, there is an indirect connection because of alcohol’s effects on weight gain and eating habits. We do know that excess pounds and poor eating do contribute to acid reflux. I ran across some statistics from my favorite food store, My Fit Foods, that you may not know.
Immediate damage:
- 1 shot of alcohol is about 100-150 calories. It takes about 2 miles of fast cardio to burn off.
- 1 average glass of wine, about 6 oz., is 300 calories or so. It takes about 3 miles of fast cardio to burn it off.
- 1 average size margarita is about 500 calories. It takes 5 miles of cardio to burn off.
- All alcohol increases insulin levels, making you store most of it as body fat when you consume it. Add that alcohol to a sugary blend like a Margarita or Hurricane and you’re packing on fat.
Longer term damage:
- In addition to the excess calories alcohol puts in your body, alcohol also depresses your metabolism for up to 16 hours after drinking it, causing even more weight gain.
- This metabolic depression means that you’ve got to tack on another 2 or 3 miles to all the values above to burn off the calories that you now temporarily slowed metabolism neglected to.
- Most people also tend to eat starchy foods when they drink alcohol, to nurse the fatigue and sluggishness some people can feel the following day.
- This extra carbohydrate consumption not only adds extra unneeded calories, but since it results in such a high insulin spike, most of those extra calories will be stored as body fat.
So…what to do? If you absolutely cannot go without your wine, beer, marguerita, etc., moderation should be the key. Try experimenting with reducing your alcohol intake to see if your acid reflux improves. Also, drink water at the same time to dilute the effects. If you are drinking red wine for its heart benefits, try a Resveratrol supplement instead.
To Your Health!
If you are fed up with taking acid reflux medication, check out Heartburn No More, a compilation of 11 years of trial and error which has helped many people. The author also gives you 8 bonuses including one-on-one counseling.
 Does stress cause acid reflux? Probably not. But it does make an already existing condition worse. For many of us, eating certain foods is a natural reaction to stress. They call those comfort foods. For me comfort foods tend to be higher in fat like french fries or chocolate cake. It is natural to associate stress with acid reflux when it is actually just an indirect relationship.
What are your comfort foods? Are those the same foods that cause your acid reflux to flare up even if you are not under stress. It can be very helpful to pinpoint your trouble foods. Keep a journal of your acid reflux attacks noting the foods you ate just prior and any emotional or stress conditions you were experiencing.
One of the best remedies for stress is exercise which is also a good acid reflux remedy as well. So walking for 30 minutes instead of driving through McDonald’s for french fries has multiple obvious benefits. If you take to the bed in times of high stress levels, don’t eat first and then lie down. Stress–>Eating poorly–>Lying Down. Three strikes.
Another remedy is to supplement your digestive enzymes. If you are naturally unable to digest some of the common comfort foods containing fats, carbohydrates and fiber perhaps you should consider a product such as Ultra-Zymes from Healthy Choice Naturals. Digestive enzyme supplements have also helped many with their IBS, bloating, chronic constipation, gas and lactose intolerance.
Acid reflux is a condition characterized by expulsion of stomach acids creating a back flow into the esophagus. It exposes the unprotected lining of the esophagus to unstable stomach acids that may cause severe damage if not properly addressed. Acid reflux syndrome can affect anyone and if left untreated may lead to complications such as Erosive Esophagitis, Esophageal Stricture and Ulceration that might lead to esophageal cancer. Its most common symptoms include heart burn, regurgitation, and difficulty in swallowing, dental erosion and chest pain. Since it is commonly associated with heart burn, engaging in precautionary measures to avoid heartburn will likely decrease the chances of reflux.
There are several ways to prevent acid reflux as has been outlined my 7 Tips Series and on other posts on this blog. Some may involve drug therapies but an acid reflux natural cure is still highly recommended since it minimizes side effects that are usually caused by medications. Here is a helpful summary of suggestions to avoid heartburn and acid reflux:
- Stay away from foods and drinks with high acid content such as alcoholic beverages, carbonated drinks, citrus fruit juices, tomatoes, spices and chocolates.
- Empty your stomach within 2-3 hours before bedtime. Lying down with a full stomach presses the lower esophageal sphincter that might result in reflux of its contents.
- Eat in small portions until you are half full. Never overeat since too much food in the stomach generates increased pressure towards the esophagus.
- Elevate the head slightly when sleeping. Gravity will help to decrease the pressure on the esophagus when the head is higher than the stomach. You might even try a special pillow like Medslant. See the Medslant picture below.
- Avoid wearing clothes and belts around the waist that are tight fitting. Clothes and belts that are worn too tightly around the abdomen create extreme pressure that forces the food to go up to the esophagus.
- Maintain a desirable weight; if you are overweight you may have to lose a few pounds since obesity raises pressure in the abdomen. If you need some help with losing some weight, check out the Fat Loss 4 Idiots program.
- For smokers, you should stop smoking since cigarettes contain chemicals that weaken the lower esophageal sphincter, increasing the chances of reflux.
- Increase intake of protein-rich foods to help in strengthening the esophagus
- If diet and lifestyle modification fails, you have to visit your physician and you might be advised to take medications such as Prilosec, Protonix and Zantac.
Certainly, this condition shouldn’t be ignored since it may be a predisposing factor of a more serious health problem like cancer. The discomforts felt from the symptoms of reflux can greatly affect the quality of life and daily activities of the person experiencing it.
If you have been experiencing frequent episodes of heartburn, it will be helpful if you keep a record of your heartburn attacks indicating what triggered the reflux, its severity and how you were relieved. When you visit your physician, bring the record for a more accurate assessment regarding your condition. Determining the cause of the reflux will help you prevent it by alleviating its symptoms.
Beating or at least containing acid reflux entails diet modification; drug therapies and natural remedies. For the worst cases, surgical intervention may be needed. Therefore, early detection of acid reflux is the key to mitigating the possibility of aggravating the condition to a more serious health problem.
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