If you are someone who likes to throw caffeinated beverages back to caffeinated beverages, you may be starting to notice an uncomfortable side effect.
We will present this by saying that most drinks are moderate to drink, but, Drinking cups on top of cups of coffee, tea and soft drinks during the day, medical experts say, can seriously increase the risk of acid reflux and heartburn. (Related: The 7 Healthiest Foods You Can Eat Now.)
New guidelines proposed in a research letter published by JAMA recommend that you make lifestyle changes to lower your risk of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The main symptoms of GERD include acid reflux and heartburn, and so the coffee drinkers want to scale down hard. The letter also suggests that you do not consume more than two cups of coffee, tea or soda a day.
As lead author of the research letter, Raaj S. Mehta, MD, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School, explains to Eat it, not it!, “We decided not to recommend more than two cups of coffee, tea or soda a day, because in our previous study … we found that replacing two cups of coffee, tea or soda a day with two cups water is associated with a modest reduction in the risk of BUOO symptoms. ‘
But do not worry – it’s not necessary to get rid of your morning coffee completely. Mehta adds: “In particular, coffee has many other health benefits, so these recommendations do not suggest that people should give it up completely!” Just cutting back after a few cups should be enough to reduce your chance of heartburn.
“The mechanism by which coffee, tea or soda may contribute to reflux symptoms may be related to caffeine, which can weaken the valve in the esophagus which prevents the reflux of acid from the stomach,” said Andrew T. Chan, senior author of the study. . MD, MPH of MGH, explained. “However, this is probably not the only option, as it seems that even people who drink coffee without caffeine have a higher risk of reflux.”
The other recommendations of the letter for lifestyle changes to reduce GERD include that you should do at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise daily, maintain a “careful” diet and avoid smoking. By making these behavioral changes, you can avoid the risks associated with using potentially dangerous medications to address the problem, Chan explains.
Check out these 28 best and worst acid reflux foods for more insight on what foods you should take care of (and where you should not stay) to prevent heartburn.