GERD & Eating Fats

The chronic heartburn of gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, may make eating high-fat foods a painful experience. Although dietary guidelines for GERD patients have traditionally included limiting fatty foods, clinical evidence has not confirmed that avoiding fats can relieve the acid reflux of GERD, Dr. Tonya Kaltenbach and colleagues note in a May 8, 2006 article published in the "Archives of Internal Medicine."

Symptoms

A muscular ring called the lower esophageal sphincter, or LES, controls the flow of foods and fluids from your esophagus to your stomach. In GERD, the LES opens at the wrong times or does not close completely, allowing acidic digestive fluids to rise from your stomach into your esophagus, the tube that transports food from your mouth to your stomach. You may have had occasional heartburn, a sour taste in your mouth, chest pressure or bloating after eating fatty foods, hot foods, spicy foods or drinking coffee. However, if you have GERD, these symptoms may occur two or more times per week. The back-flow of stomach acids into your esophagus, or acid reflux, may eventually damage your esophageal lining and require surgical repair, according to the American College of Gastroenterology, or ACG.

Effects

The ACG notes that fatty foods may promote acid reflux by lowering the pressure of your LES. However, in a review of clinical studies of the effects of lifestyle modifications on GERD symptoms, Dr. Kaltenbach and her co-authors could not find enough justification for recommending that people with GERD reduce fat intake. While some of the studies that Kaltenbach reviewed indicated that limiting fats may relieve GERD symptoms, others showed no relationship between dietary fats and acid reflux. Because the effects of fats on GERD may vary from one person to another, you should work with your health care provider to develop an eating plan that's tailored to your nutritional needs and digestive symptoms.

Weight

Kaltenbach's review found clinical evidence that obesity may worsen GERD symptoms. Obesity may cause increased intra-abdominal pressure and an increased risk of hiatal hernia--a condition that contributes to GERD. In its list of lifestyle modifications for GERD patients, the ACG advises that overweight people should try to achieve a healthy weight in order to prevent the potentially serious complications of GERD. Limiting your intake of dietary fats may indirectly improve your GERD symptoms by helping you achieve a healthy weight.

Fat Intake

To maintain your cardiovascular health, prevent stroke and heart attack and keep your weight within a normal range, the American Heart Association, or AHA, recommends that you get 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories from fats. Limit your intake of saturated fats--found in meat, butter, eggs and full-fat milk products--to 7 percent of your daily calories. Most of your dietary fats should come from nuts, avocados, seeds, olive oil or other monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils, the AHA advises. Protecting your overall health and avoiding obesity may have a positive effect on your digestive symptoms.