Cutting back on sugars may cut reflux and acid levels in your esophagus.

Researchers randomly assigned 95 people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) to one of four diets:

  • high in non-sugar carbs, high in sugars,
  • high in non-sugar carbs, low in sugars,
  • low in non-sugar carbs, high in sugars,
  • low in non-sugar carbs, low in sugars.

After nine weeks, people who ate the diet high in non-sugar carbs (like bread or rice) and low in sugars (like pudding or bananas) had less esophageal exposure to acid and fewer episodes of reflux (both measured by a sensor in the esophagus) and fewer symptoms than those who ate the diet high in both non-sugar carbs and sugars.

What to do

If you have GERD, try cutting back on sugars, especially added sugars, to see if your symptoms improve. Although this study reported promising results, they need to be replicated in larger trials.

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