Restricting Dietary Acid May Relieve Reflux Symptoms In Certain Patients

The New York Times (11/8, Parker-Pope, Subscription Publication) “Well” blog reports, “This year, a small study found that restricting dietary acid could relieve reflux symptoms like coughing and hoarseness in patients who had not been helped by drug therapy, according to the journal Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology.” During “the study, 12 men and eight women with reflux symptoms who hadn’t responded to medication were put on a low-acid diet for two weeks, eliminating all foods and beverages with a pH lower than 5.” Notably, “19 out of 20 patients improved on the low-acid diet, and three became completely asymptomatic.”