Post by @mollypelletier.rd

Cut tomatoes, coffee, and wine and your reflux is still there? Reflux is a mechanical problem, and food is rarely the root contributor. Food can irritate a system that is already sensitive, which is why it gets so much of the blame. In a 2026 review of 122,074 people, coffee drinkers had only slightly more GERD than non-drinkers, and the authors said the clinical impact is unclear. What keeps reflux going is how well your barrier holds: • The LES (the valve at the top of your stomach) does not close well • A tight diaphragm does not support that valve • Anatomy, like a hiatal hernia, can weaken it • Overeating stretches the stomach and makes the valve relax more often • A thrown-off microbiome adds to all of it Start with meal size: smaller, slower meals, and stop when you are comfortably full. In a physiology study, stretching the stomach made the LES relax three to four times as often. During my own GERD I kept cutting foods before I worked on the real drivers. My free 14-Day Reflux Reset Guide is linked in my bio. 📚 Muftah et al., 2026, Clin Transl Gastroenterol, systematic review and meta-analysis of 40 observational studies, n=122,074: GERD in 34.9% of coffee drinkers vs 30.7% of non-drinkers, PMID: 41677121. Holloway et al., 1985, Gastroenterology, physiology study, n=33 (16 healthy, 17 GERD): stomach distention raised transient LES relaxations three- to fourfold, PMID: 4029557. #refluxtok #acidreflux #GERD #LES #refluxdietitian