Acid Reflux and Diabetes

Just recently in a very popular heartburn book, I read that diabetes was a major cause of acid reflux and that getting your blood sugar in check was a major step in controlling your acid reflux.

Up until that point in time, I had never come across any research or read any other reports that would indicate that this was true (or false), so I decided to look into whether or not there was any validity to this claim.

So are acid reflux and diabetes related? Additionally, do certain treatments have the side effect of acid reflux?

You are about to find out the answer to these questions as below I will be revealing what I found after digging in to the literature. I will start with laying out the research for both sides and then interpreting the validity of each study.

The specific book I was reading referenced a study that looked at diabetic patients who used insulin therapy and those who did not. The researchers reported that those who used insulin therapy for their diabetes were more likely to GERD and esophageal damage from their reflux than those who did not use insulin therapy (1).

Additionally, I was able to find another study where researchers were able to demonstrate that the longer individuals were afflicted with diabetes, the likely they were to have GERD and other esophageal disorders (2).

While the first two studies were interesting if nothing else, this is where the support for the link between diabetes and acid reflux ends.

By far the largest study I was able to find (looking at over 1,500 patients) reported that there was no difference in rates of acid reflux or instances of acid-related esophageal damage when comparing regular people with diabetes (3).

Another group of researchers reported they were unable to find any differences in GERD rates between different types of treatment protocols for diabetics, in direct opposition to study 1 (4).

Finally, one group of researchers even reported that those with the highest blood sugar levels (very poor glucose control) actually had much lower rates of acid reflux than those with slightly better glucose control (5).

There are a few confounding factors that should be made known about the particular pieces of research cited in this article. First off, the initial study reporting that people who use insulin as being much more likely to get heartburn was written in Russian; only the abstract (a brief summary) was available in English, which makes me curious as to how the author in the book I mentioned was able to interpret it (I am guessing they did not read the original piece).

The second study (in support of acid reflux and diabetes being linked) and fifth study (reporting that those with the highest blood sugar levels had less reflux) both used very small sample sizes, which could make their results be up to chance rather than reliable evidence.

The safest study is the third one referenced, which supports no difference between regular individuals and diabetics. This is simply because they had such a large sample size (over 1500 people) and adjusted for confounding factors and other risk factors.

Based on what I have read of the research, right now there is simply no way you can say with complete certainty that diabetes or diabetic treatments are linked with acid reflux.

It is much more likely that the things which dispose individuals to type-2 diabetes (obesity and a high-carbohydrate diet) also dispose individuals to acid reflux. Obesity in particular is very strongly linked with acid reflux and diabetes.

Furthermore, another thing to consider is gastroparesis. With the translation of stomach paralysis, this may occur with nerve damage (particularly to the vagus nerve) and lead to acid reflux.

Patients with particularly severe cases of diabetes (particularly left untreated) may end up with vagus nerve damage and ultimately develop gastroparesis. This also helps explain the findings of study 1 and 2.

Study 1 was conducted in Russia; health care in Russia does not rank well on a world scale, which would make insulin-dependent diabetics more likely to develop gastroparesis.

Study 2 reported that longer-term diabetics often had worse acid reflux, which could be the result of nerve damage due to prolonged periods of elevated glucose levels.

According to our current set of research, well-managed diabetes is not likely to lead to acid reflux or heartburn. Obesity is one of the strongest risk factors for both diabetes and acid reflux, which is why the two may be correlated (but not necessarily directly related). Finally, prolonged periods of very poorly managed diabetes may result in gastroparesis, which can lead to acid reflux.Individuals with diabetes and acid reflux should focus keeping their glucose levels at a healthy level and weight loss (should they be overweight or obese). An acid reflux diet should be secondary to managing glucose and weight loss.

References

1. Fedorchenko IuN, Korneeva NV. Influence of the insulin therapy on the course of gastroesophageal reflux disease with type 2 diabetes. Eksp Klin Gastroenterol. 2010;(11):35-9.

2. Kinekawa, F., et al. Esophageal function worsens with long duration of diabetes. J Gastroenterol. 2008;43(5):338-44

3. Holub JL, Silberg DG, Michaels LC, Williams JL, Morris CD, Eisen G. Acid-related upper endoscopy findings in patients with diabetes versus non-diabetic patients. Dig Dis Sci. 2010 Oct;55(10):2853-9.

4. Horikawa, A., et al. Prevalence of GORD (gastro-oesophageal reflux disease) in Type 2 diabetes and a comparison of clinical profiles between diabetic patients with and without GORD. Diabet Med. 2009 Mar;26(3):228-33.

5. Lauffer A, Forcelini CM, Ruas LO, Madalosso CA, Fornari F. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease is Inversely Related with Glycemic Control in Morbidly Obese Patients. Obes Surg. 2011 Jul;21(7):864-70.

Heartburn food - Top 5 groups food heartburn to avoid or to consume with moderation

Majority of stomach symptoms are food-related. A person has an advantage if he knows the food appropriate for the prevention of heartburn, especially groups of five foods high in order to avoid or to consume with moderation. Otherwise, a person will be subject to certain complications if its indigestion incidents have become a regular presence.

If you are the type who could not care less if eat you salt, food foods oily, spicy, hazelnuts foods, fatty, food food "feel good"and all the other assortment of foods that can trigger disturbances in your body, then you are a candidate for heartburn. If you continue to be stupid about what happens inside your digestive system, you will soon feel its unpleasant effects.

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Once you feel a little more tight around the chest with a kind of pain, it will seem to stab you as it develops slowly in your body. Gradually, it rises and reaches your throat, neck and jaw make you feel very nauseated and miserable. You feel like sleeping, but which may aggravate your condition.

No, you do not have to call 911; you're not a heart attack if there was nothing wrong with your heart before you began gorging yourself with food. You are actually suffering from indigestion or heartburn. Just ask some antacids, wait for it to take effect and you will soon pass the gas.

Your eating habits can also lead to these episodes. Dining at a fast pace, wearing tight fitting clothes and lying flat on your back after a full meal are triggers you must monitor. Most often, the symptoms are related foods. In fact, if you are the type that tends to have indigestion, you should know the most common heartburn-inducing foods to avoid.

1 Spicy and very acidic fruit, including tomatoes. especially if taken too much acidity with an empty stomach can cause pain of gas. Tomatoes and other foods of tomato based; they can be nutrients for their lycopene content, but they are also regarded as very acid.

2. Garlic and onions or food preparations with too much of these two; acid vapours onion can we even cry to tears, while the smell of garlic acid juice can fill an entire room. That is how strong are these acidic foods.

3 Food spicy, responsible for all types of pepper, Chile and other spicy condiments. Try dipping your finger with the natural juices of pepper and feel how it consumes. It is the same thing, that is the case for the linings of our intestines.

4 Peppermints, chocolates and alcohol. they are good "feel" food after a hearty meal. They are in reality the heartburn triggers because they relax at the opening of your esophagus and let out your stomach acid to spread around your chest.

5 Fat-rich foods; fat slows down digestion and creates pressure on the esophageal sphincter. As a result, acid will roll back the food, causing regurgitation. Juicy Ribeye, nuts, lawyers, and cheese are a few examples.

Now if you really are the type who experiences problems of indigestion of almost anything, make a record of the food you've eaten just, take note and include in your diet for the prevention of heartburn. Food is glorious, food is divine, but food may be too dangerous because this is where to begin all our health problems.

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Drugs for Acid Reflux -Avoid Danger

Acid reflux is a chronic problem of digestion. It has the potential to be extremely painful and cause significant discomfort. It does not correctly; symptoms become chronic and persist for many months. In addition, the symptoms recur often without pre-existing warning. Drugs for acid reflux are processing more current, and yet they are often bothersome side effects and serious medical complications.

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Because the selected drugs are often required for a short period of time, they must be repeated. Drug treatment is mainly based on the removal of high acid productivity. Specifically, drugs generally mask the symptoms of acid reflux. Therefore, the symptoms still persist. Unfortunately, long-term drug use can cause other problems of major medical such as cancer, hypertension and Alzheimer's even.

Acid reflux drugs may involve risk important that most people do not know. As mentioned above, extreme use cases of the diseases that can cause death. Fundamentally, the drugs are rarely the best solution to manage this disease. Research indicates that drugs are not safe (for many reasons).

Drugs for acid reflux can be bought at the counter or prescribed by a physician. Although both are effective in their own right, they do not solve the problem of acid reflux. Over the counter medications like antacids, are commonly used to treat mild acid related symptoms. Antacids contain excessive amounts of minerals (calcium and potassium) causing mineral imbalances.

More drugs work by neutralizing acid in the stomach. Yet, they are not effective for the treatment of chronic acid reflux. Prescription drugs, such as tramadol, Nexium and Prevacid are all capable of processing symptoms up to 8 weeks.

After that, they become dangerous. Use these drugs long-term has been proven to cause a production of the hormone gastrin. The substance called gastrin directs your stomach to make more acid. The production of gastrin causes cancer cells to expand significantly increases the risk of developing cancer.

However, most of these same drugs disrupt the production of natural or hydrochloric acid in the stomach. This greatly reduces your ability to digest your food properly. Reduction of the natural production of gastric acid also decreases the body's defense against food-borne infections. increasing the risk to get food poisoning.

Prescription for acid reflux drugs may also cause injury to persons who are currently on prescription drugs. The effects of a drug can amplify or modify the effects of another causing dangerous reactions or even death.

Finally, the long term management of drugs used to treat acid reflux induced the accumulation of toxins and pathogens not desired in the body. There are several compelling reasons why you should consider avoiding extreme use of the counter drugs or prescription for acid reflux disease.

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