Alcohol and tea consumption are associated with asymptomatic erosive esophagitis in Taiwanese men

Abstract

ObjectiveAsymptomatic erosive esophagitis (AEE) is commonly found in men, and might be a risk factor of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma. We aimed to determine if specific dietary habits increase the risk of AEE in asymptomatic Taiwanese men.MethodsWe recruited male adults undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for health check. We excluded subjects with reflux symptoms, or taking anti-reflux medications or drugs that potentially impair lower esophageal sphincter function or cause mucosal injury. The frequency of consuming reflux-provoking diets including alcohol, tea, coffee, tomato/citric juice, chocolate, sweet food, and spicy food was assessed. The erosive esophagitis was diagnosed based on the Los Angeles Classification after endoscopy. Frequent consumption of a specific diet was defined as ≥4 days/week of consuming that diet.ResultsA total of 1256 participants were recruited. After excluding 424 ineligible subjects, AEE was identified in 180 (22%) among 832 asymptomatic subjects. The risk of AEE increased with the number of days per week of consuming alcohol or tea: nondrinkers (19%, 17%), occasional drinkers (<1 day/week; 19%, 15%), regular drinkers (1–3 days/week; 26%, 21%), frequent drinkers (4–6 days/week; 32%, 22%), and daily drinkers (42%, 28%), respectively (trend test P < 0.001 for both). Multivariate analysis showed that hiatus hernia (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 5.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.6–9.6), drinking alcohol ≥4 days/week (aOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.3–4.0), and drinking tea ≥4 days/week (aOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1–2.3) are independent risk factors of AEE. The risk of AEE was 3.8 times greater for those drinking both alcohol and tea ≥4 days/week than the non-drinkers.ConclusionsFrequent alcohol and tea consumption increased the risk of AEE in Taiwanese men.

Association between tea consumption and gastroesophageal reflux disease

“…They found that the risk of asymptomatic erosive esophagitis was greater in those drinking tea than nondrinkers. [13] Another study performed by Filiberti et al [12] suggested that tea consumption could be protective factor for Barrett's esophagus or esophagitis. However, this is a case–control study based on limited subjects.…”

“…[8] In observational studies, some case–control studies have reported that there is no correlation between GERD and tea consumption, [9,10] while other studies suggested a positive association between tea drinking and the risk of GERD. [11–13] Thus, the effect of tea drinking on GERD risk is still controversial. The aim of this study is to perform a meta-analysis on the relationship between tea drinking and the incidence of GERD.…”

Dietary habits and obesity indices in patients with gastro-esophageal reflux disease: a comparative cross-sectional study

“…Therefore, it seems that any possible relationship between coffee and GERD may not be obvious in this study. In terms of tea consumption and GERD, several epidemiological surveys had regarded tea as a risk factor of GERD [ 27 , 32 ], although, this relationship varied depending on the type of tea consumed, such as green tea, strong tea or peppermint tea [ 27 , 33 , 34 ], as well as quantity of tea intake [ 32 ]. In this study, no significant association was found between the timing of tea intake and risk of GERD, which is in line with the finding of previous epidemiological reports [ 35 , 36 ].…”

Prevalence and risk factors of gastro-esophageal reflux disease among undergraduate medical students from a southern Indian medical school: a cross-sectional study

“…Drinking two cups of tea per day was a risk factor for GERD in Syrian undergraduate and graduate students [ 16 ]. Similarly, a study on men from Taiwan found that drinking tea ≥ 4 days a week was associated with asymptomatic erosive esophagitis [ 30 ]. Students with GERD symptoms could be advised to observe if tea or coffee exacerbate their symptoms so that their intake can be limited.…”