Understanding Acid Reflux: A Common Teen Problem

The Science Behind Acid Reflux: A Breakdown

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, often called GERD, is a long-term GI disorder known for the unintentional return of undigested food and stomach acid from the stomach into the esophagus. Unfortunately, GERD is not caused by just one thing and is often a result of multiple factors - natural, structural, and/or lifestyle.  

GERD can happen when the lower esophageal sphincter (a ring of muscle that forms a valve at the lower end of the esophagus) becomes impaired and allows stomach contents to flow back up the esophagus. Other common causes of GERD include hiatal hernias, as these hernias can alter the lower esophageal sphincter function. Motor abnormalities, such as when your esophagus does not tighten or relax properly to move food from your mouth down to your stomach or when your stomach empties food into the intestine slower than normal, can also lead to GERD. GERD has also been found commonly in those who are overweight due to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure and from various lifestyle factors like stress, anxiety, smoking, alcohol consumption, eating large meals late at night, and lying down after eating. 

Although GERD symptoms may vary among teens, several are pretty common. Those include heartburn (a burning feeling in the middle of the chest), regurgitation (stomach contents coming back up the esophagus into the mouth), possible vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, pain or problems swallowing, cough, hoarseness, or wheezing.

Diet and Lifestyle Modifications for Teenagers

Luckily, there are many things that people can do to help lessen their GERD symptoms through diet and lifestyle modifications. Unfortunately, it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation. I would encourage a few weeks of recording your symptoms and comparing that with what you’ve eaten, your physical activity, sleep, and stress. Hopefully, this will help narrow down what your triggers may be. 

Choosing the Right Foods

Aiming for lower-fat foods is important when selecting foods to help reduce your GERD symptoms. High-fat foods like fast food, cheeseburgers, fries, pizza, fried foods (like chicken nuggets or chicken tenders), baked goods (cookies and cakes), processed meats (bacon, hot dogs, etc), and various snacks (like chips) are known to increase GERD symptoms. Foods like peppermint, spearmint, and caffeine (energy drinks, coffee) may also need to be reduced as these foods can worsen GERD. Certain fruits and vegetables may also be trigger foods, but this is very individualized and can be narrowed down with a food diary. 

Not only are the right foods important, but so is the timing of meals. It may be better to have several smaller meals throughout the day and stop eating at least three hours before going to bed. 

Managing Stress: Techniques for Teenagers

As we all know, stress can come from a large variety of places, and as children get older, their sources of stress grow. Regardless of where the stress is coming from, it is very important to recognize the source of the stress and work on ways to manage it. Tips for helping with stress management include sleeping well (at least 9-12 hours of sleep per night), regular exercise (at least 60 minutes per day for those between the ages of 6 and 17), having the ability to openly talk about stress, making time for fun, going outside, less time on social media, and journaling. 

1. _{American Psychological Association. (2024, October 22). How to help children and teens manage their stress. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/children/stress}  

2. _{Antunes, C., Aleem, A., & Curtis, S. A. (2023, July 3). Gastroesophageal reflux disease (archived). In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441938/} 

3. _{Dore, M. P., Maragkoudakis, E., Fraley, K., Pedroni, A., Tadeu, V., Realdi, G., Graham, D. Y., Delitala, G., & Malaty, H. M. (2008). Diet, lifestyle and gender in gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Digestive diseases and sciences, 53(8), 2027–2032. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-007-0108-7} 

4. _{U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Symptoms & causes of ger & gerd in children - niddk. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/acid-reflux-ger-gerd-children/symptoms-causes}