5 ms·

> Gastroesophageal reflux results from weakness or relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) [1]. Personal experience with this problem lead me to thin

> Gastroesophageal reflux results from weakness or relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) [1]. Personal experience with this problem lead me to think about it, repeatedly. LOL. More seriously: Is there something about a modern diet or lifestyle that tends to cause this weakening? Or have anatomically-modern humans just always had a similar rate of reflux, for this reason?

TheFreim 3y ago
> LOL What's funny...?
- recursive 3y ago
  Presumably the understatement of it.
- yamtaddle 3y ago
  > Personal experience with this problem lead me to think about it, repeatedly. It's a comically-understated way to say "I kept having acid reflux, just, so very many times, and it hurt like a motherfucker so I became preoccupied with fixing it".
  - antisthenes 3y ago
    Some of the most significant progress we made as a species was because some relatively smart and lazy person got really annoyed with some kind of problem.
- marstall 3y ago
  OP deploying a bit of wit with the comma and the word "repeatedly" at the end. I don't what you'd call it exactly - gallows humor?
nradov 3y ago
Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle will cause mitochondrial dysfunction throughout the body and prevent muscles from working effectively, including the esophageal sphincter. I don't know that causality has ever been directly proven there but it seems likely.
candiddevmike 3y ago
I think sitting all day causes it
- the_only_law 3y ago
  This explains a lot. I’ve done nothing but sit for months and I can’t eat anything even remotely acidic anymore.
- samtho 3y ago
  Sitting all day is just one of many things that likely cause it. Sitting pushed organs around in a different way from standing or laying down.
sirwally 3y ago
I suffered from this in my teens and early 20s. It was pretty terrible, and I'd often vomit. Turns out not eating like shit fixed it.
- drones 3y ago
  Yep, I had a terrible diet a few years ago which flared up some moderate acid reflux whenever I had certain sugary drinks. Fanta and Coke were the worst for me. I think the likely culprit was the aspartame. I very rarely drink those types of beverages now and I don't have acid reflux anymore.
programmarchy 3y ago
We eat a lot of processed foods which are softer compared to chewing tough meat for example. This is known to affect jaw and palate development (which in turn affects teeth alignment, tongue position, and even breathing). [1] Seems like it could also affect the esophagus. [1] https://news.stanford.edu/2020/07/21/toll-shrinking-jaws-human-health/ https://news.stanford.edu/2020/07/21/toll-shrinking-jaws-hum...
- mschild 3y ago
  Fascinating link thanks. I had a small hunch that it could also be related to how thoroughly we chew. I've noticed over the years that I chewed less and less while eating and started swallowing most pieces whole. Since a few months ago I started to make an effort to really chew on my food until it's properly minced. According to the link that seems to be part of the problem.
dolni 3y ago
I have recently had a significant improvement in acid reflux symptoms. The key for me was to just eat less. I am not morbidly obese. I have a pretty small frame and am about 5 ft 6 in tall. My BMI before cutting my portion sizes down was on the upper end of the normal weight range (24.9). I tend to be a fast eater, and I think that did me no favors. It makes a lot of sense in retrospect. But when you're not obese, cutting your portion sizes is not the first thing that comes to mind as a method for improving health.
- atentaten 3y ago
  So you weigh about 154.32 pounds?
  - dolni 3y ago
    You got it.
- tacheiordache 3y ago
  > I tend to be a fast eater, and I think that did me no favors. Chewing thoroughly until the food almost liquefies helps the stomach digest faster and empty its contents into the intestines.
  - mcv 3y ago
    My wife recently berated my for swallowing part of my food before I'd properly chewed it. I'm trying to pay more attention to it now, and she's right. I take a big bite, chew twice, swallow part of it, and then chew the rest. Another thing I need to unlearn.
vidarh 3y ago
Among many others, obesity is a big risk factor. It's not just weakening that's the problem, but also more pressure from below, and obesity can cause the stomach to be pushed up. I have a hiatal hernia, where there's a too large opening allowing part of the stomach to slipe through the diaphragm, and that massively increases my acid reflux if I don't take medication. Weight changes dramatically affects the strength of my symptoms. As I've lost weight the symptoms have largely disappeared again.
codegladiator 3y ago
There is an episode in Andrew Hubermans' podcast which goes into the details of this. Overall if you are keeping your digestive track in "digestion mode" frequently thus not letting it rest will eventually building up constant acid (to digest the food) resulting in reflux. The digestive track goes into "rest mode" about 3-4 hours after your most recent food intake.
tsunamifury 3y ago
Oily greasy food, not exercising, extra weight on the chest, and alcohol that further relaxes the muscle all contribute in my experience.
kevinmchugh 3y ago
GERD is multicausal, which is why there's so many responses already. Personally I went from occasional heartburn to GERD during a period where I was eating spicier food more often, eating more overall, and consuming more alcohol. The latter two are modern problems, spiciness might be as well.
- _maelstrom 3y ago
  When I was seeing doctors for stomach issues years ago, I remember being told to avoid spicy food among other things. However, population studies don't show a higher rate of GERD/stomach ulcers for groups who report eating spicier food. I think it just irritates damage that is already there that you might not have noticed. For me, it turned out I was reacting to something in my well water and a bit after switching to bottled water, I could go back to chocolate/coffee/alcohol/spicy food with no problems.
throwuwu 3y ago
We don’t drink directly from streams or pools of water. Pre-technology humans would have had to use their hands to scoop water to their mouths and it’s more efficient when your mouth is closer to the water source since you don’t lose as much on the way up. We also just don’t spend much time bending over anymore which is probably another source of resistance that is missing.
- aitchnyu 3y ago
  Getting an illustrated children's Bible 22 years ago, I was most surprised by when God told the commander to tell his soldiers to drink from a stream and they were wildly idiosyncratic, some lapping like cats, some cupping the water into their hands etc. Spoiler alert: commander did multiple tests, each selecting for idiosyncrasies, resulting in a force a fraction of the original size, and won the battle.
atentaten 3y ago
I think tons of anxiety and stress can also weaken the muscle, which can make it more susceptible to been weakened by an external physical trauma.
subsubzero 3y ago
I have had GERD since 2012 after a surgery and it has been extremely unpleasant to say the least. The author mentions Rantadine which I also took but the problem with that drug was it was found to contain carcinogens and I promptly stopped taking it. I now take pepcid AC 20MG daily and would love to find a way to stop taking it altogether. In case you are wondering(and I have been to the Dr many, many times about this), triggers for GERD are stress(for me it is the strongest trigger) caffeine, heavy fried foods, spicy foods, cabbage and soy. Methods to avoid acid reflux flare ups are eat slowly(I eat really fast!) eat at least 2-3 hours before bed, and also avoid huge meals. I am truly thankful to OP for this article and will apply its techniques right away, hope the stuff I mentioned helps others as well.
zzzeek 3y ago
hiatal hernia runs in my family, so it's genetic for me not sure where you're coming from but LOL for a disease that definitely leads people to die of esophageal cancer on a regular basis not to mention makes living and exercising difficult seems....inappropriate ?
- mackieem 3y ago
  Their "LOL" was in reference to the author's statement of "...personal experience led me to think about this, repeatedly" (which is the author presumably making a joke)
rybosworld 3y ago
Anecdote: I used to suffer from very bad reflux in my early 20's. I tried all sorts of things. Today I no longer suffer from reflux at all. The following either didn't work, or only reduced the severity of my reflux: - Medicines were helpful but not an outright fix. - Dietary changes did not help at all. - Sleeping upright helped but only so much. And my sleep quality was terrible. - A medical device that applies light pressure to your Adam's apple. This actually helped a lot, but was not fun to sleep with. The two things that I think actually got rid of my reflux for good are: - Intermittent fasting - Vomitting cat exercise
- tantalor 3y ago
  Say more about "Vomitting cat exercise"
  - rustyminnow 3y ago
    Web search says it's an abdominal breathing exercise where you are positioned on the ground on your hands and knees (similar to "cats and camels" for those familiar with that one).
  - rybosworld 3y ago
    Step 1: Sit on all fours like a cat/dog. Step 2: Suck in your gut and arch your back like a cat does when they are startled. Step 3: Exhale There is also a variation where you don't arch your back: https://hiitacademy.com/hiit-exercise-how-to-do-cat-vomits/ https://hiitacademy.com/hiit-exercise-how-to-do-cat-vomits/ I basically found myself running out of things to try. My poor sleep quality was especially affecting me and I was desperate to get the reflux under control. And so I spent a lot of time thinking deeply about what could be causing my reflux. It's difficult to explain why I thought to try this combination (fasting + cat vomitting exercise). It was sort of like I suddenly understood where the weakness was in my esophagus, and that this specific motion/exercise, in combination with giving my esophagus a break for 10 hours/day would relieve the reflux. I fully committed, and in not very long (3-4 weeks if I remember right), my reflux was mostly gone. Only had a few memorable reflux instances in the months that followed and now its been years since I've had any issues at all. I still practice intermittent fasting 5 days a week but I don't do the cat vomit exercise. Part of me feels strongly that if I hadn't done both those things at the same time, I wouldn't have fixed my reflux, but obviously I have no evidence to prove that. I also feel its important to mention that reflux has different causes. I felt like what I was experiencing, combined with all the reading I did about reflux, allowed me to settle on this particular regimen. I am definitely not trying to suggest that this is some secret magical cure that big pharma doesn't want you to know about.
letsdothisagain 3y ago
It turns out drinking 4 cups of coffee a day for a few decades isn't great for your esophagus.
- ProfessorLayton 3y ago
  coffee doesn't have to be scalding hot, or even hot at all to be enjoyed.
  - dangwhy 3y ago
    even cold decaf coffee causes reflux.
    - mcv 3y ago
      Now I'm wondering if my excessive tea consumption might be related to my reflux problems. This discussion is giving me a lot to think about.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
    I thought it was a reference to PH, not temperature?
- lobocinza 3y ago
  Anecdotally and subjectively drinking coffee can trigger reflux but yerba mate (another source of caffeine) did improve digestion.
dangwhy 3y ago
Insulin Resistence. Almost half the people with diabetes also have GERD.
anonuser123456 3y ago
I would posit that chronic inflammation of the stomach mucosa due to the SAD diet could cause neuromuscular problems in the regions that control the LES.

TheFreim 3y ago

> LOL What's funny...?

recursive 3y ago
Presumably the understatement of it.
yamtaddle 3y ago
> Personal experience with this problem lead me to think about it, repeatedly. It's a comically-understated way to say "I kept having acid reflux, just, so very many times, and it hurt like a motherfucker so I became preoccupied with fixing it".
- antisthenes 3y ago
  Some of the most significant progress we made as a species was because some relatively smart and lazy person got really annoyed with some kind of problem.
marstall 3y ago
OP deploying a bit of wit with the comma and the word "repeatedly" at the end. I don't what you'd call it exactly - gallows humor?

nradov 3y ago

Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle will cause mitochondrial dysfunction throughout the body and prevent muscles from working effectively, including the esophageal sphincter. I don't know that causality has ever been directly proven there but it seems likely.

candiddevmike 3y ago

I think sitting all day causes it

the_only_law 3y ago
This explains a lot. I’ve done nothing but sit for months and I can’t eat anything even remotely acidic anymore.
samtho 3y ago
Sitting all day is just one of many things that likely cause it. Sitting pushed organs around in a different way from standing or laying down.

sirwally 3y ago

I suffered from this in my teens and early 20s. It was pretty terrible, and I'd often vomit. Turns out not eating like shit fixed it.

drones 3y ago
Yep, I had a terrible diet a few years ago which flared up some moderate acid reflux whenever I had certain sugary drinks. Fanta and Coke were the worst for me. I think the likely culprit was the aspartame. I very rarely drink those types of beverages now and I don't have acid reflux anymore.

programmarchy 3y ago

We eat a lot of processed foods which are softer compared to chewing tough meat for example. This is known to affect jaw and palate development (which in turn affects teeth alignment, tongue position, and even breathing). [1] Seems like it could also affect the esophagus. [1] https://news.stanford.edu/2020/07/21/toll-shrinking-jaws-human-health/ https://news.stanford.edu/2020/07/21/toll-shrinking-jaws-hum...

mschild 3y ago
Fascinating link thanks. I had a small hunch that it could also be related to how thoroughly we chew. I've noticed over the years that I chewed less and less while eating and started swallowing most pieces whole. Since a few months ago I started to make an effort to really chew on my food until it's properly minced. According to the link that seems to be part of the problem.

dolni 3y ago

I have recently had a significant improvement in acid reflux symptoms. The key for me was to just eat less. I am not morbidly obese. I have a pretty small frame and am about 5 ft 6 in tall. My BMI before cutting my portion sizes down was on the upper end of the normal weight range (24.9). I tend to be a fast eater, and I think that did me no favors. It makes a lot of sense in retrospect. But when you're not obese, cutting your portion sizes is not the first thing that comes to mind as a method for improving health.

atentaten 3y ago
So you weigh about 154.32 pounds?
- dolni 3y ago
  You got it.
tacheiordache 3y ago
> I tend to be a fast eater, and I think that did me no favors. Chewing thoroughly until the food almost liquefies helps the stomach digest faster and empty its contents into the intestines.
- mcv 3y ago
  My wife recently berated my for swallowing part of my food before I'd properly chewed it. I'm trying to pay more attention to it now, and she's right. I take a big bite, chew twice, swallow part of it, and then chew the rest. Another thing I need to unlearn.

vidarh 3y ago

Among many others, obesity is a big risk factor. It's not just weakening that's the problem, but also more pressure from below, and obesity can cause the stomach to be pushed up. I have a hiatal hernia, where there's a too large opening allowing part of the stomach to slipe through the diaphragm, and that massively increases my acid reflux if I don't take medication. Weight changes dramatically affects the strength of my symptoms. As I've lost weight the symptoms have largely disappeared again.

codegladiator 3y ago

There is an episode in Andrew Hubermans' podcast which goes into the details of this. Overall if you are keeping your digestive track in "digestion mode" frequently thus not letting it rest will eventually building up constant acid (to digest the food) resulting in reflux. The digestive track goes into "rest mode" about 3-4 hours after your most recent food intake.

tsunamifury 3y ago

Oily greasy food, not exercising, extra weight on the chest, and alcohol that further relaxes the muscle all contribute in my experience.

kevinmchugh 3y ago

GERD is multicausal, which is why there's so many responses already. Personally I went from occasional heartburn to GERD during a period where I was eating spicier food more often, eating more overall, and consuming more alcohol. The latter two are modern problems, spiciness might be as well.

_maelstrom 3y ago
When I was seeing doctors for stomach issues years ago, I remember being told to avoid spicy food among other things. However, population studies don't show a higher rate of GERD/stomach ulcers for groups who report eating spicier food. I think it just irritates damage that is already there that you might not have noticed. For me, it turned out I was reacting to something in my well water and a bit after switching to bottled water, I could go back to chocolate/coffee/alcohol/spicy food with no problems.

throwuwu 3y ago

We don’t drink directly from streams or pools of water. Pre-technology humans would have had to use their hands to scoop water to their mouths and it’s more efficient when your mouth is closer to the water source since you don’t lose as much on the way up. We also just don’t spend much time bending over anymore which is probably another source of resistance that is missing.

aitchnyu 3y ago
Getting an illustrated children's Bible 22 years ago, I was most surprised by when God told the commander to tell his soldiers to drink from a stream and they were wildly idiosyncratic, some lapping like cats, some cupping the water into their hands etc. Spoiler alert: commander did multiple tests, each selecting for idiosyncrasies, resulting in a force a fraction of the original size, and won the battle.

atentaten 3y ago

I think tons of anxiety and stress can also weaken the muscle, which can make it more susceptible to been weakened by an external physical trauma.

subsubzero 3y ago

I have had GERD since 2012 after a surgery and it has been extremely unpleasant to say the least. The author mentions Rantadine which I also took but the problem with that drug was it was found to contain carcinogens and I promptly stopped taking it. I now take pepcid AC 20MG daily and would love to find a way to stop taking it altogether. In case you are wondering(and I have been to the Dr many, many times about this), triggers for GERD are stress(for me it is the strongest trigger) caffeine, heavy fried foods, spicy foods, cabbage and soy. Methods to avoid acid reflux flare ups are eat slowly(I eat really fast!) eat at least 2-3 hours before bed, and also avoid huge meals. I am truly thankful to OP for this article and will apply its techniques right away, hope the stuff I mentioned helps others as well.

zzzeek 3y ago

hiatal hernia runs in my family, so it's genetic for me not sure where you're coming from but LOL for a disease that definitely leads people to die of esophageal cancer on a regular basis not to mention makes living and exercising difficult seems....inappropriate ?

mackieem 3y ago
Their "LOL" was in reference to the author's statement of "...personal experience led me to think about this, repeatedly" (which is the author presumably making a joke)

rybosworld 3y ago

Anecdote: I used to suffer from very bad reflux in my early 20's. I tried all sorts of things. Today I no longer suffer from reflux at all. The following either didn't work, or only reduced the severity of my reflux: - Medicines were helpful but not an outright fix. - Dietary changes did not help at all. - Sleeping upright helped but only so much. And my sleep quality was terrible. - A medical device that applies light pressure to your Adam's apple. This actually helped a lot, but was not fun to sleep with. The two things that I think actually got rid of my reflux for good are: - Intermittent fasting - Vomitting cat exercise

tantalor 3y ago
Say more about "Vomitting cat exercise"
- rustyminnow 3y ago
  Web search says it's an abdominal breathing exercise where you are positioned on the ground on your hands and knees (similar to "cats and camels" for those familiar with that one).
- rybosworld 3y ago
  Step 1: Sit on all fours like a cat/dog. Step 2: Suck in your gut and arch your back like a cat does when they are startled. Step 3: Exhale There is also a variation where you don't arch your back: https://hiitacademy.com/hiit-exercise-how-to-do-cat-vomits/ https://hiitacademy.com/hiit-exercise-how-to-do-cat-vomits/ I basically found myself running out of things to try. My poor sleep quality was especially affecting me and I was desperate to get the reflux under control. And so I spent a lot of time thinking deeply about what could be causing my reflux. It's difficult to explain why I thought to try this combination (fasting + cat vomitting exercise). It was sort of like I suddenly understood where the weakness was in my esophagus, and that this specific motion/exercise, in combination with giving my esophagus a break for 10 hours/day would relieve the reflux. I fully committed, and in not very long (3-4 weeks if I remember right), my reflux was mostly gone. Only had a few memorable reflux instances in the months that followed and now its been years since I've had any issues at all. I still practice intermittent fasting 5 days a week but I don't do the cat vomit exercise. Part of me feels strongly that if I hadn't done both those things at the same time, I wouldn't have fixed my reflux, but obviously I have no evidence to prove that. I also feel its important to mention that reflux has different causes. I felt like what I was experiencing, combined with all the reading I did about reflux, allowed me to settle on this particular regimen. I am definitely not trying to suggest that this is some secret magical cure that big pharma doesn't want you to know about.

letsdothisagain 3y ago

It turns out drinking 4 cups of coffee a day for a few decades isn't great for your esophagus.

ProfessorLayton 3y ago
coffee doesn't have to be scalding hot, or even hot at all to be enjoyed.
- dangwhy 3y ago
  even cold decaf coffee causes reflux.
  - mcv 3y ago
    Now I'm wondering if my excessive tea consumption might be related to my reflux problems. This discussion is giving me a lot to think about.
- yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
  I thought it was a reference to PH, not temperature?
lobocinza 3y ago
Anecdotally and subjectively drinking coffee can trigger reflux but yerba mate (another source of caffeine) did improve digestion.

dangwhy 3y ago

Insulin Resistence. Almost half the people with diabetes also have GERD.

anonuser123456 3y ago

I would posit that chronic inflammation of the stomach mucosa due to the SAD diet could cause neuromuscular problems in the regions that control the LES.