Spicy Food Consumption and Risk of Uninvestigated Heartburn in Isfahani Adults

Abstract

Background/Objective: Dietary recommendations for the consumption of spicy foods in uninvestigated heartburn are still under debate. We examine the association between spicy food consumption and the prevalence of uninvestigated heartburn in a large sample of Iranian adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 4,633 Iranian adults living in Isfahan (2,046 men, 2,587 women) in 2010. The average daily intake of spicy foods was estimated using a dietary habit questionnaire. Uninvestigated heartburn was defined, using a validated Rome III questionnaire, as the presence of heartburn sometimes, often or always during the last 3 months. Results: Uninvestigated heartburn was prevalent in 23.8% (n = 1,103) of participants. After controlling for potential confounders, including dietary behaviors and body mass index, men consuming spicy foods ≥10 times/week were 2.63 times more likely to have uninvestigated heartburn (95% CI: 1.28-5.36) compared with those who never consumed spicy foods. Also, those men with the highest consumption of spicy foods were 3 times more likely to experience heartburn frequently (95% CI 1.44-6.39) compared with men with the lowest intake. No overall significant associations were found between the consumption of spicy foods and uninvestigated heartburn, including the frequency and severity of heartburn, in women. When the analysis was restricted to those with uninvestigated heartburn, no significant associations were found between consumption of spicy foods and frequency of heartburn either in men or women. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that high consumption of spicy foods was associated with a greater risk of uninvestigated heartburn in men, but not in women. Further studies, particularly of a prospective nature, are needed to confirm our findings, as well as underlying mechanisms.

Association between gastroesophageal reflux disease-questionnaire factors and gastroesophageal reflux disease incidence at Kardinah general hospital inpatient wards

“…Foods are also the risk factors to GERD incidence, study showed that spicy foods consumption increased the heartburn frequency compared to who never consumed spicy foods, but there were no significant associations between consumption of spicy foods and heartburn. 21 Also in our study showed that no significant differences, while most of the patients who like to consumed spicy foods did not have GERD. Next, high fat diets were associated with severe GERD symptoms (OR=1.77) and twice as likely to consume fried foods (OR=2.10) because high fat meals can decrease the LES pressure compared to high protein meals with the same number of calories.…”

Dietary Intake in Relation to the Risk of Reflux Disease: A Systematic Review

“…In this literature review, we identified 25 eligible studies with quality scores from 3.5 to 6.0. As shown in Table 1 , these studies included 5 case-control studies ( Nandurkar et al, 2004 ; Murphy et al, 2010 ; Wu et al, 2013 ; Asl et al, 2015 ; Ebrahimi-Mameghani et al, 2017 ), 14 cross-sectional studies ( El-Serag et al, 2005a ; El-Serag et al, 2005b ; Shapiro et al, 2007 ; Friedenberg et al, 2010 ; Kubo et al, 2014 ; Khodarahmi et al, 2016 ; Mone et al, 2016 ; Alkhathami et al, 2017 ; Eslami et al, 2017 ; Keshteli et al, 2017 ; Atta et al, 2019 ; Kim et al, 2019 ; Kariri et al, 2020 ; Rajaie et al, 2020 ), and 6 prospective studies ( Ruhl and Everhart, 1999 ; Gutschow et al, 2005 ; Austin et al, 2006 ; Bhatia et al, 2011 ; López-Colombo et al, 2017 ; Wu et al, 2018 ). There were a total of 8 to 12,349 subjects per study.…”

“…Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disorder that affects quality of life. GERD develops when reflux of stomach contents causes troublesome symptoms and long-term complications ( Rajaie et al, 2020 ). The major symptoms of GERD include heartburn and regurgitation ( Kahrilas, 2003 ), however, GERD can also manifest with atypical symptoms including epigastric pain, dyspepsia, nausea, bloating, and belching ( Badillo and Francis, 2014 ).…”

“…The major symptoms of GERD include heartburn and regurgitation ( Kahrilas, 2003 ), however, GERD can also manifest with atypical symptoms including epigastric pain, dyspepsia, nausea, bloating, and belching ( Badillo and Francis, 2014 ). GERD pathogenesis involves esophagitis, hemorrhage, stricture, Barrett’s esophagus, and adenocarcinoma ( Rajaie et al, 2020 ). Moreover, GERD is independently associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, including acute myocardial infarction ( Lei et al, 2017 ).…”

Clinical Manifestation of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Associated With Autoimmune Thyroiditis in Young Persons

“…According to statistic data GERD in combination with AIT is quite often registered in young patients. Such comorbidity contributes to unbalanced diet, stress, abuse of dry food and gas drinks, frequent viral infections and smoking [20].…”