1. Benefits of ginger for digestive health

To answer the question, should people with gastroesophageal reflux eat ginger, let's learn about the uses of ginger.

Ginger has the scientific name Zingiber officinale Rosc. Ginger root contains 2-3% essential oil, in addition to resin (5%), fat (3.7%), starch and spicy substance. Gingerol is the main bioactive compound in ginger. According to research, gingerol has strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, helps fight cell aging and helps prevent cardiovascular disease.

Ginger also has the effect of relieving nausea, effectively supporting the treatment of indigestion. Ginger has been proven to speed up the process of emptying the stomach, slow stomach emptying is the main cause of indigestion.

In the study, people with unexplained indigestion were given either ginger capsules or a placebo. Those who took ginger took 12.3 minutes to empty their stomachs, while those who took the placebo took 16.1 minutes. These effects were also measured in people without indigestion. Taking ginger significantly accelerated the emptying of their stomachs.

2. Does eating ginger help improve symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux?

Gastroesophageal reflux is a condition in which stomach contents and food flow back up into the esophagus, throat, and even mouth, causing symptoms such as heartburn, acid reflux, nausea, chest pain, burning sensation, and sore throat.

In addition to taking medication, a suitable diet plays a very important role for people with gastroesophageal reflux because some foods can help neutralize acid, reduce the amount of acid refluxing into the esophagus, thereby reducing uncomfortable symptoms such as heartburn, acid reflux, sore throat...

The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger can help reduce stomach acid production, relieve acid reflux symptoms, reduce digestive irritation and esophageal inflammation.

As food moves from the stomach to the small intestine, the stomach no longer needs to produce acid to digest it. Because ginger helps the stomach empty more quickly, it can reduce the likelihood of stomach acid refluxing into the esophagus.

According to MSc. Dr. Le Thi Hai, former Director of the Center for Examination and Nutritional Counseling, National Institute of Nutrition, the cause of gastroesophageal reflux is often due to the secretion of too much gastric acid, so the diet should include foods that cause less gastric acid secretion, foods that can absorb some gastric acid.

Among the foods you should eat, ginger helps eliminate excess gas, reduces symptoms of belching, bloating, indigestion...

Data from the US National Library of Medicine shows that ginger is an important nutrient that has anti-flatulence effects, reduces pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter, reduces intestinal spasms, prevents indigestion, bloating and flatulence.

Regarding the effect of ginger on lower esophageal sphincter pressure, the present study examined the effect of ginger on esophageal function and lower esophageal sphincter (LES) by measuring esophageal pressure.

Conclusions: Ginger did not affect resting LES pressure or esophageal contraction amplitude and duration during swallowing but further relaxed the LES and decreased esophageal contraction velocity, which may have increased gastric emptying or anti-flatulence effects.