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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
06:46
Simultaneous Laryngopharyngeal and Conventional Esophageal pH Monitoring
Published on: December 14, 2020
A low-acid diet rarely normalizes pathologic gastroesophageal reflux disease
Anthony Skryd1, Valeria Pasuizaca-Yanez2, Shreya Chablaney2
1Department of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
Summary
A low-acid diet significantly reduces esophageal acid exposure time (AET) in patients undergoing GERD testing. This dietary change may be a valuable lifestyle modification for managing GERD symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Dietary Science
Background:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) diagnosis often involves ambulatory pH testing.
- The impact of dietary acidity on GERD metrics and symptoms is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate how high-acid and low-acid diets affect acid exposure time (AET) and laryngopharyngeal symptoms (LPS) during wireless pH monitoring.
- To determine the influence of dietary acidity on diagnosing pathologic GERD.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 208 patients undergoing 96-hour wireless pH monitoring.
- Patients followed a high-acid diet on one day and a low-acid diet on another day.
- Pathologic GERD defined by AET >6%; normal AET <4%.
Main Results:
- A low-acid diet reduced mean AET by 41% (from 12.51% to 7.33%).
- The majority of patients (55%) with pathologic GERD had their lowest AET on a low-acid diet day.
- No significant difference in LPS occurrence was observed between diet days.
Conclusions:
- A low-acid diet demonstrably lowers esophageal acid exposure.
- Dietary modification towards low acidity shows potential as a monotherapy or adjunct to proton pump inhibitors for GERD management.
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