Coffee and GERD: Is there a link?

Home » Acid Reflux Guide » Health Complications of GERD » Coffee and GERD: Is there a link?
Coffee and GERD Is there a link?

Diet is one of the most common triggers of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and in this caffeine-loving country, it may come as a surprise to learn that your morning cup of coffee may be making your reflux symptoms worse. Sure, that morning cup of Joe may give you a little more energy and pep to get through your busy day, but studies have shown that coffee can trigger GERD symptoms and make reflux worse. In this article Dr. Bagnato explains the relationship between Coffee and GERD.

Coffee makes GERD worse primarily by irritating the stomach and esophagus, causing acid to wash over the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and eventually causing it to become weaker. A weak LES allows stomach acids to back up – or reflux – more easily, which causes further LES irritation and weakening.

Not just Coffee and GERD, Soda, too

Coffee isn’t the only culprit you need to worry about. Soda can contain its own fair share of caffeine, and if you’re one of the nearly half of all Americans who drink at least one soda every day, you’re habit could be contributing to your GERD symptoms. In addition to its caffeine, soda has a couple of other components that can exacerbate GERD. First, it’s carbonated, and all those bubbles can increase pressure in your stomach. That pressure in turn causes an increase in LES pressure, a primary cause of GERD. Second, soda is full of sugar-packed empty calories, which can make you gain weight. When you weigh more, all that excess weight in your stomach places more pressure on your LES, and that exacerbates GERD and its symptoms.

What about tea?

While studies have been pretty clear on the relationship between coffee and GERD, the evidence is less conclusive for tea. Some studies have shown little cause-and-effect with tea and GERD while others have shown that drinking tea can cause symptoms in some people. When it comes to tea, your best bet seems to be to know how it affects you, so you can decide whether you can include it in your diet or not.
If you’re experiencing heartburn or other symptoms of GERD, don’t ignore them. Left untreated, GERD can cause other serious issues, including changes in the esophageal tissue that can lead to cancer.

From the Palmyra Surgical Blog

  • Cooking Tips for Heartburn-Friendly Meals
    For someone with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), eating certain foods can cause extreme acid reflux and heartburn. Learn how to cook without the heartburn with these healthy tips.
  • Weight Loss for GERD
    Weight Loss for GERD
    Losing weight may provide relief from chronic heartburn, even for those who struggle with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Overweight and obese men and women struggle with acid reflux disease at a much higher prevalence rate than their healthy-weight counterparts.
  • Smoking: A Culprit in the World of Reflux
    In the past two decades, a lot of research has come out about tobacco use—and the news hasn’t been good for tobacco companies. Whereas once smoking appeared to be a harmless pastime, something that just about everyone did, inside and outdoors, that isn’t the game anymore. Tobacco use continues to decline across the United States, but there are still a lot of people out there who smoke at least somewhat regularly. By the latest estimates from the Centers for Disease and Control, about 18% of US adults use tobacco products in some form or another.
  • The Compliment Conundrum
    For Acid Reflux, Put the Soda Down
    Soda is hands-down one of the most popular drinks in the United States. This can be proven on the number of sales alone. Based on national sale data, there is enough soda sold annually for every adult to drink a full 45 gallons of soda per year. There are aquariums sold that are smaller than that! But when you stop and think about it, there is really no wonder as to why soda is such a major drink in our diets. The beverage is filled with sugar, and most of our favorite sodas pack enough caffeine to help us power through a busy afternoon at work.
  • Acid Reflux More Common than Ever
    Americans are dealing with more health problems now than they ever had in the past. This is based on statistical data that finds that chronic diseases are pretty much on the rise across the board. One of the biggest causes of this startling rise in health problems is obesity, which directly affects more than one-third of the US adult population, with another third being overweight and at risk.