Are Soft Drinks Bad For Acid Reflux?
At-A-Glance
- If you have acid reflux and you drink soda (e.g., Coke Pepsi), you should know that it is the worst thing for your reflux that you can consume.
- Almost all soft drinks … soda, fruit juice, energy drinks, and seltzer … have the same pH (acidity) as stomach acid. Think of your Diet Pepsi as stomach acid next time you have one!
- Why are soft drinks so acidic? Drinks in bottles and cans must be certified by law as acidic (pH <4) to prevent the growth of microorganisms; but manufacturers have gone way too far in adding acid.
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The American soft drink market is $435 billion a year; that’s more than of all the fast food. The average American consumes 44 gallons of soft drinks a year, or about 15 ounces per day … and that’s for every man, woman, and child in America.
Why Are Soft Drinks So Acidic?
In 1973, following an outbreak of deadly food poisoning (botulism), the Food and Drug Administration mandated certification of acidity (pH<4) for all beverages in a bottle or can crossing state lines. That’s why my landmark book is entitled Dropping Acid.
The FDA and the public never imagined that manufacturers would take it too far; many drinks are pH 3-4, and that’s too acidic. If you don’t know the pH scale, pH 3 is 10 times more acidic than pH 4. But even pH 4 is too acidic for you if you are a refluxer. You should avoid consuming things below pH 5. For an example of a great beverage: Almond milk’s pH is 7.4!
What’s Wrong With Drinking Acidic Beverages?
If you have acid reflux, you certainly know about acid coming up; but acid going down is also a big problem. As it turns out, the main stomach enzyme, Pepsin, comes up with the acid when you have reflux; but unlike acid, the pepsin sticks around. Think of pepsin molecules as little crabs that attach them selves to your vocal cords, throat, sinuses, etc.
But here’s the thing: Pepsin requires acid to activate it, to make it work. And what does activated pepsin do? Think of the idea of self-digestion.
When you drink Coca-Cola at pH 2.9, the pepsin in and on your tissue goes to work, causing tissue inflammation and damage. If you are a singer, for example, reflux (pepsin) is usually why your voice is husky … which is terrible news.
Summary
We have proven that a low-acid diet benefits people with reflux … and highly acidified bottles and canned beverages are the worst things you can consume.
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