To prevent gastroesophageal reflux disease, attention must be paid to reducing individual risk factors.
Behavioral risk factors
- Diet
- Malnutrition:
- Fruit juices (eg citrus juices / orange juice) with a lot of fruit acids.
- Peppermint tea and peppermint lozenges (mint).
- Eating too hastily
- Last food intake late in the evening before bedtime (better before 6:00 p.m.)
- Consumption of stimulants
- Alcohol
- Coffee
- Tobacco (smoking)
- Psycho-social situation
- Stress
- Overweight (BMI ≥ 25; obesity).
Prevention factors (protective factors)
- Dietary change – a vital substance-rich, balanced diet – less acid-forming foods and more base-donating foods, respectively.
- Large, high-fat meals should be avoided. Instead, it is to take smaller meals spread throughout the day – the greater the stomach volume and the longer the residence time in the stomach, the greater the risk of reflux disease.
- Last food intake before bedtime at 18.00 o’clock
- Avoidance of:
- High-fat foods (fatty meats, lard, mayonnaise; fried foods).
- Drinks rich in sugar such as cocoa or too much sweets (especially chocolate).
- Citrus fruits; acidic fruits, acidic juices.
- Fruit juices, such as citrus juices and orange juice, as well as tomato juice (contain many fruit acids).
- Sweets (esp. chocolate)
- Hypertonic (high carbohydrate) drinks such as sodas, cola drinks, cocoa.
- Strongly carbonated mineral water
- Peppermint tea and peppermint lozenges
- Pickled vegetables, tomato ketchup
- Garlic and onions
- Hot spices
- Eating too hastily
- Upper body elevation to the night
- Obesity (being overweight) – causes the lower thoracic aperture (opening from the chest to the abdomen) to widen, increasing the risk; participate in a medically supervised weight loss program
