Patterns of diet-related practices and prevalence of gastro-esophageal reflux disease

BackgroundNo studies have evaluated associations between patterns of diet-related practices as determined by latent class analysis (LCA) and gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). We aimed to assess this relationship in a large sample of Iranian adults. MethodsIn a cross-sectional study in 4763 adults, diet-related practices were assessed in four domains, meal pattern', eating rate', intra-meal fluid intake', and meal-to-sleep interval', using a pretested questionnaire. LCA was applied to identify classes of diet-related practices. We defined GERD as the presence of heartburn sometimes, often or always. Key ResultsThe prevalence of GERD in the study population was 23.5% (n=1120). We identified two distinct classes of meal patterns: regular' and irregular', three classes of eating rates: moderate', moderate-to-slow', and moderate-to-fast', two major classes of fluid ingestion with meals: moderate' and much intra-meal drinking', and two classes regarding the interval between meals and sleeping: short' and long meal-to-sleep' interval. After adjustment for potential confounders, subjects with irregular meal pattern' had higher odds of GERD compared with subjects with regular meal pattern' (OR: 1.21; 1.00-1.46). However, when taking into account BMI, the association disappeared. Long meal-to-sleep interval' was inversely associated with GERD compared with short meal-to-sleep interval' (OR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.57-0.95). Eating rate' and intra-meal fluid intake' were not significantly associated with GERD. Conclusions & InferencesOur data suggest certain associations between dietary patterns and GERD. These findings warrant evaluation in prospective studies to establish the potential value of modifications in dietary behaviors for the management of GERD.