New food approaches to reduce and/or eliminate increased gastric acidity related to gastroesophageal pathologies

Objectives: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is very common in industrialized countries, and it is rapidly and significantly increasing, even in developing countries. Unlike reported to date in the scientific literature, in this study aims to assess the ability of reduced-carbohydrate diets and foods enriched with acid pH (lemon and tomato) to quickly and exponentially reduce the symptoms related to conditions such as gastritis and gastroesophageal reflux that are unrelated to Helicobacter pylori. Methods: Following the administration of an anamnestic test, 130 subjects were selected, including 73 women and 57 men, aged 21 to 67, with a gastritis diagnosis for 92 subjects (including 56 women and 36 men) and reflux gastritis for 38 subjects (17 women and 21 men). Study participants followed 3 dietary treatments in succession. Each treatment lasted two weeks, and treatments were separated by two weeks of washout. The subjects followed a diet, consisting primarily of proteins and fats, that included the exponential reduction of glycides (simple and complex). In addition, the treatment provided for the daily intake of the juice of two lemons and approximately 100 g of fresh orange tomato without seeds eaten either raw or cooked and peeled. Results: During the treatment and at the end of two weeks of treatment, the subjects reported significant improvements, including an almost total disappearance of symptoms related to the disease in question. Conclusions: This study shows that a carbohydrate-free diet and/or highly hypoglycidal diet enriched with acid pH foods seems to lead to a decrease in the pH of the gastric contents, thus inhibiting further production of hydrochloric acid with a reduction or disappearance of heartburn symptoms typical of gastroesophageal diseases.