Doctor Vu Truong Khanh, from the Department of Gastroenterology - Hepatobiliary - Pancreatic at Tam Anh General Hospital in Hanoi, explains that alcohol and fermented products like beer can reduce the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter. This muscle acts like a valve, preventing acid from the stomach from flowing back up, and its relaxation allows acid reflux, causing heartburn and acid regurgitation.

Alcohol further stimulates the stomach to produce more acid, increasing the risk of irritation and damage to the stomach lining. The alcohol directly causes inflammation, harming the delicate esophageal lining, making it more sensitive to acid. Additionally, alcoholic beverages slow gastric emptying, causing food and digestive fluids to remain in the stomach longer, which promotes reflux.

Doctor Khanh examining and consulting a patient. Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital

While healthy individuals who drink heavily often experience physiological acid reflux with minor symptoms, Doctor Khanh warns that repeated and prolonged exposure of the esophageal lining to stomach acid can lead to significant discomfort. This includes heartburn, acid regurgitation, and burning pain behind the breastbone, which impacts daily life and quality of living. In the long term, chronic reflux can progress to esophagitis, bleeding, and the formation of scar tissue.

Doctor Khanh advises everyone to adjust their eating and drinking habits during Tet and other festive occasions. Individuals with a history of reflux should avoid alcohol to minimize irritation to the digestive tract lining. If alcohol consumption is unavoidable, it should be consumed slowly, never on an empty stomach, and always accompanied by food to limit the direct impact of alcohol on the stomach. After drinking, one should not lie down immediately, but wait at least 2-3 hours to allow the stomach time to digest. It is also crucial to control portion sizes, avoiding overeating, and limiting fried, spicy, or greasy dishes at festive meals to manage symptoms and prevent reflux from worsening.

If symptoms of acid reflux occur frequently, persist for more than two weeks, or interfere with daily activities, patients should consult a gastroenterologist. A specialist can accurately diagnose the cause and provide timely treatment.

Ly Nguyen