A new study published in the journal Cureus has identified four lifestyle factors that are solely responsible for almost all cases of acid reflux.
More importantly, this study provides two steps that you can implement right now to completely eliminate acid reflux.
Researchers recruited 953 students from Jazan University in Saudi Arabia and gave them a questionnaire to complete.
This questionnaire contained 36 questions on four themes: demographic and social information, risk factors and lifestyle, diagnosis of acid reflux, and reflux complications.
In the acid reflux diagnosis section, the students had to report whether they had been diagnosed with acid reflux. They were also asked how many reflux episodes they experienced per week: less than one, one, two to three, or four to seven.
A significant portion (23.1%) of the participants reported acid reflux.
The researchers made the following observations:
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1. The older participants were more likely to have acid reflux than the younger participants.
2. Exercising less than 30 minutes per week was a risk factor, and it applied to 58.6% of the participants.
3. Eating more than three meals per day increased the risk acid reflux, and 25.9% of participants did so.
4. The consumption of fatty foods, enjoyed by 47.3% of participants, increased risk.
5. Those with a family history of acid reflux were more likely to have it.
Strangely, they did not find a relationship between high body mass index scores and acid reflux, which contradicts most previous research on this topic. Smoking was also not identified as a risk factor in this study.
So what is the solution?
When the researchers performed some statistical calculations on their results, they found two strategies that could reduce the risk of acid reflux significantly.
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1. Five or more physical activities for at least 30 minutes per week reduced acid reflux risk by 65%.
2. Fiber-rich food was protective against acid reflux.
This study provides concrete and easy guidelines for preventing acid reflux that you can start following today.