The Medical Consumer's Advocate
Milk and GERD
Q:
What is your opinion of milk
and milk products as they relate to GERD? I was diagnosed
with GERD by a gastroenterologist four months ago and in
retrospect suffered from it for a year before. I have
heard conflicting opinions as to the benefits and
disadvantages of milk. Do you think it helps to relieve
the symptoms or aggravate them, or relieve then
aggravate?
A: It depends on whether you are drinking
whole milk or skim milk. The fat in milk (any dietary fat,
for that matter) "triggers" the stomach to kick up
its production of acid and digestive enzymes. Any food will
do this, but fat happens to be pretty good at it.
Consequently, one of the common bits of advice we give people with GERD is
to reduce the fat content in their diet. In particular, the evening meal needs to be as low in
fat as possible.
Does skim milk help neutralize
stomach acid? Perhaps a bit, but I suspect that this buffering quality is overwhelmed by the
stomach's amazing ability to produce acid and digestive
enzymes.