Reducing simple sugars in diet may ameliorate symptoms of GERD

Researchers have found in a new study  that dietary carbohydrate modification and substantial reduction in the intake of simple sugars improved pH monitoring outcomes and symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The study was published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology. 

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most frequent, most costly, and most debilitating gastrointestinal disorder which affects the quality of life. Dietary recommendations are given to reduce the symptoms of GERD but no literature studied the effects of both the amount and type of dietary carbohydrate on symptomatic GERD. Hence, researchers conducted a randomized controlled diet intervention trial to investigate both the amount and type of carbohydrates in symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). 

For nine weeks, a high total/high simple, high total/low simple, low total/high simple, or low total/low simple carbohydrate diet was randomly assigned to 98 veterans with symptomatic GERD. Esophageal acid exposure time (AET) and the total number of reflux episodes derived from 24-hour ambulatory pH monitoring were the primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes were esophageal reflux symptoms rated using the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire (GERDQ) and GERD Symptom Assessment Scale (GSAS).