Video Transcript:
Acid reflux is something that millions of people deal with across the United States and even more so across the world. And this is something that occurs when the contents of the stomach flow back up into the esophagus.
This can cause a lot of unpleasant symptoms like heartburn or pain, and regurgitation of food. And so of course, lots of individuals who may be facing these symptoms are looking for relief to effectively manage reflux. It's really important to know the root cause of why you may be dealing with these symptoms. And this can help us as practitioners know what types of supplements or regimens to recommend.
So for some people, excess weight can be a root cause of pregnancy, smoking, poor diet, or even stress. Sometimes a combination of these factors causes these symptoms. And so understanding that root is really important for us to know, again, what sort of supplementation or lifestyle regimen can be most effective for you.
Now for some people maintaining a healthy weight or reducing trigger foods can be enough to see relief, but for other people, they may still have some unpleasant symptoms.
Many individuals suffering from this common digestive condition often wonder, Can acid reflux be cured? And so for these individuals, this is where I often recommend something a little bit extra to help relieve, especially those heartburn and pain sensations in the upper chest area. This is where supplements like DGL can come in and really prove to be effective as a treatment.
Hi there! My name is Megan and I'm a registered dietitian nutritionist at Flusso Nutrients where we provide supplement education and high-quality supplement options to you so that navigating the world of nutrition and supplements is a little bit easier.
Of course, before you incorporate any new supplements into your regimen, please contact your healthcare provider who is nutrition literate before doing so as we can't possibly know your personal medical history before making any recommendations.
So without further ado, let's dive into today's topic, which is DGL supplementation for acid reflux.
Can DGL Supplements Cure Acid Reflux?
DGL is something that has gained popularity in recent years due to some more research that really backs up the effectiveness that this can have on symptom management for people with acid reflux.
DGL is an acronym. It stands for Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice. This is a natural supplement and the process of Deglycerolization removes that compound and this can cause high blood pressure and other adverse effects.
There are no other adverse health effects that are known with this supplement, so it's relatively safe. But of course, as always, please speak with your healthcare provider before trying something new like this supplement.
The way that this particular supplement works is it stimulates the production of the mucus lining in our esophagus and in our stomach.
And so when we have this protective mucus coating around our esophagus or our stomach, it doesn't allow that acid, the stomach contents to obviously erode and then create that pain or burning sensation that a lot of people tend to face.
And so this can be a really helpful product for long-term use, especially since it's not just creating a short-term protective barrier, but this is something that can create a barrier and can stimulate that mucus barrier over the long term.
Not only that but DGL has been shown to have some anti-inflammatory effects on the esophagus, which can help reduce inflammation and provide additional relief from those pesky acid reflux symptoms.
Selecting a High-Quality DGL Supplement: Key Ingredients to Consider
Now of course there are lots of different supplements of DGL on the market, and this can be really confusing for people figuring out the best one for them, and there are lots of different ranges of quality as well.
However, on the Flusso website, we carry a really high-quality supplement and it's called Licorice DGL Pro.
This is an advanced supplement formula that obviously not only contains DGL, but a couple of other important components to healing the stomach lining.
L-Glutamine - This is something that we've talked about in a previous blog, but this is a really, really essential nutrient to help repair the lining of the digestive system. And so for those with acid reflux and a lot of that pain and irritation, that can be a very soothing supplement to help again, repair the lining and make sure that the anti-inflammatory effects are focusing on the areas that you need it most.
Zinc - this is a part of the formula and essential for our immune system and our digestive health.
And even recently there's research that suggests even a minor zinc deficiency can harm digestive function.
And so again, some of these added nutrients in the supplement can be especially effective for those of you who are looking for not only short-term relief but more long-term relief and repair of the lining of your esophagus.
Now, a really common question I also get is...
How long does it take for me to see relief if I'm using DGL and I've got acid reflux symptoms?
And so of course this is going to vary depending on the individual and how severe your symptoms are, but for a lot of people, they might start noticing some relief even within a few days of starting a DGL supplement.
I usually try to tell people, to wait for about a week and see how they feel after that week. Then we can reassess if the dosage is right and if you're on the right supplement.
But for most individuals, thankfully, the relief does come pretty quickly. This isn't something that you need to take for weeks and weeks to finally see those symptom relief. So if you are waiting that long and you still haven't seen relief, definitely speak with your healthcare provider about increasing dosage or again, finding other treatment options that might be more effective for you.
Now, of course, it's also really important to make sure you're taking DGL consistently. This isn't something that when taken intermittently can be as helpful. And so I usually also recommend people to take DGL every single day or as directed by their healthcare provider and to make sure they're doing so before meals. Of course, over time, these protective benefits of DGL tend to kind of build-up, and so as this happens, the frequency and intensity of the acid reflux episodes should decrease.
Lastly, I want to talk dosage of DGL because I know this is another question I get quite frequently. And of course, as always, I know I sound like a brokered record, but please make sure you're talking to a healthcare provider before trying certain dosages, especially on other medications.
However, I want to communicate where the research lies and what we see is most effective for a majority of people. Again, not everybody.
With that said a lot of the research points to having about 380 to 400 milligrams of DGL before meals. And so taking this, again about 20 minutes before eating is what's shown to be most effective as a treatment option.
Now, you might find that there are powders available, there are pill form, and there's tablets. All of these are adequate forms of getting a DGL. And so as with a lot of supplements, it kind of just matters most as to what you think would be easier to take and what would be easier to stick to in the long run.
So the DGL supplement that we provide on the Flusso website is in tablet form. And so this can be quite easy to take. It's kind of a chewable form where you can put it in water. A lot of people really like this option.
Others though might find pill form a little bit easier because it's more portable or it's just easier to take. You can kind of just swig it with water, and some people prefer powder because they can mix it in with smoothies or shakes or anything that they're kind of drinking.
And so again, it really just matters what you feel would be easiest for you to take over the long term. Beyond that, the most important thing is again, making sure dosage is accurate for you. And again, research really does indicate that it's around that 380 to 400 milligram range.
Now, as mentioned earlier, it's really important to understand the underlying cause of why your acid reflux is occurring more so in the first place.
So if you're understanding your root cause issues, it's really important to also find treatment options to kind of go along with DGL supplementation as oftentimes the supplement works best in conjunction with other therapies and other lifestyle changes.
And so I like to recommend people to also make sure they're following a healthy diet, avoiding trigger foods, especially things like caffeine, chocolate, peppermint, and carbonated beverages.
Oftentimes citrus fruits or other acidic foods can be really common triggers, fried foods, things like this. Any trigger food that you find can make your acid reflux worse is best avoided or at least eaten in much lower quantities because when again, we're taking DGL and we're focusing on these lifestyle habits, this is where we tend to see the most impact and the most relief for folks.
Another lifestyle change that might also be really impactful for certain individuals is to eat smaller, more frequent meals. And again, this is something that if you're taking DGL can be even more powerful as a therapy, but smaller frequent meals help the sphincter, that kind of our stomach and our esophagus, and it puts less pressure on this.
And so when there is pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter, that's when reflux can occur more often. And so if we're having those smaller frequent meals, that's less likely for food to kind of get backed up or regurgitated and then of course flow into the esophagus and cause those unpleasant symptoms.
So thank you so much for joining us today as we talked about DGL and acid reflux.
We really appreciate your time here with us. So thank you so much for joining us, and we will see you in our next blog. Take care now.