Gastroesophageal Acid Reflux According to Different Meals: Cheeseburger vs. Laver-rolled Rice

Hur, Byung Won; Song, Chi Wook; Kim, Yun Bae; Lee, Jung Whan; Jeen, Yoon Tae; Chun, Hoon Jai; Lee, Sang Woo; Choi, Jai Hyun; Kim, Chang Duck; Ryu, Ho Sang; Hyun, Jin Hai

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The rice-based Korean meal might be associated with a low prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and its mechanism according to intake of different meals.
METHODS
For 8 healthy volunteers, we investigated the effects of meals of different contents on the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure, the frequency of transient LES relaxation (tLESR) and GER. The meals were a cheeseburger meal and a laver-rolled rice meal, 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 the frequency of tLESR, the number of GER episodes or the duration of acid exposure after ingestion of both meals. However, in a cheeseburger meal compared with a laver-rolled rice meal, we could observe a significant decrease in LES pressure (p<0.05) and an increase in the frequency of swallow- and strain-associated GER.
CONCLUSIONS
No difference in the frequency of GER was observed between these meals of different contents which were isocaloric and isovolumetric. The increase in the frequency of swallow and strain-associated GER observed in the case of a cheeseburger meal may be caused by reduced LES pressure after its ingestion.