Gastroesophageal Acid Reflux According to Different Meals: Flour Cake vs Rice Cake / 대한소화관운동학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is known to be one of the contributing factors to cause epigastric soreness, which we often experience after intake of flour-based meals. The aim of this study was to evaluate gastroesophgeal reflux (GER) and its mechanism according to intake of different ingredients of meals. METHODS: We investigated the effect of meals of different ingredients on the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure, the frequency of transient LES relaxation (tLESR) and GER in seven healthy volunteers. The meals used in this study were either rice cakes or flour cakes, which were isocaloric and isovolumetric. A mylohyoid electromyogram, LES pressure and esophageal pH were simultaneously recorded for 3 hours after ingestion of each meal on two different occasions. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in incidence of GER between two meals. CONCLUSION: The intake of isocaloric and isovolumetric meals of either flour or rice cake did not result in significant discrepancies in frequency of GER. The increase in the frequency of swallow- and strain-associated GER observed in the case of a flour cake may be caused by reduced LES pressure after ingestion.