Bile Reflux: Symptoms, Treatment, Causes & What It Is (2024)

FAQs

What is the main cause of bile reflux? ›

Bile reflux is most commonly caused by a problem with the pyloric valve that's supposed to keep bile from escaping into your stomach. This might be a result of: Surgery, especially stomach surgery and gallbladder removal surgery. Obstruction of the pyloric valve by a duodenal ulcer or scar tissue.

Caffeine can affect the lower esophageal sphincter, so choose decaf coffee or tea. Some teas that do not relax the sphincter that cause reflux include chamomile tea, licorice tea, and slippery elm tea. These teas can help ease bile reflux symptoms.

Staying adequately hydrated can ensure the proper passing of food through the gastrointestinal system, reducing the frequency of post-meal acid reflux. Regularly taking small sips of water throughout the day may also help clear acid in the esophagus and treat a GERD-related chronic cough.

The bile acid cycle is triggered by fat content in your diet. More fat in your small intestine triggers chemical signals that tell your liver to deliver more bile. More bile leads to more bile acids passing into your colon. For this reason, healthcare providers recommend a low-fat diet to help manage BAM.

Bitter foods, such as beets, artichokes, dandelion greens, arugula, coffee, and citrus, stimulate bile flow by increasing cholecystokinin, a hormone that triggers gallbladder contraction.

If you notice that a particular activity triggers heartburn symptoms, try something low-impact like walking or the elliptical. As your digestive symptoms improve, you can experiment with higher-impact exercises.

Bananas. This low-acid or alkaline fruit can help neutralize stomach acid by coating an irritated esophageal lining. And not only are bananas alkaline, they're also rich in pectin — a soluble fiber that helps keeps food flowing nicely through the digestive tract.

How do you get rid of bile acid naturally? ›

As an alternative to bile acid sequestrant medications, resistant starch and fiber in the diet can reduce secondary bile acids in the stool by binding to them and increasing their elimination.

Low in fat, egg whites are easier to digest, so they may be less likely to trigger your GERD. However, egg yolks are high in fat, so may increase your chances of getting acid reflux. If you want to include eggs in your diet, you could consider removing the yolks first.

Unlike gastric acid reflux, bile reflux can't be completely controlled by changes in diet or lifestyle. Treatment involves medications or, in severe cases, surgery.

Many people claim that it relieves their symptoms. However, there are currently no scientific studies to say that apple cider vinegar is effective for acid reflux. There is also no research to suggest that drinking apple cider vinegar is safe.

Following a low-fat diet can reduce the amount of bile acid your body produces, causing less of it to make its way to your colon. Having lower levels of bile acids in your colon lowers your chances of having diarrhea if you have BAM. To reduce your fat intake, try to avoid eating: butter and margarine.

Proton pump inhibitors decrease but do not completely eliminate bile reflux in patients with GERD.

Symptoms of bile leaks vary based on severity and anatomical location. Common symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, jaundice, and abdominal distension.

Yellow or greenish-vomit is usually a sign that you are throwing up bile. Throwing up yellow bile could indicate a potentially serious medical concern like a hiatal hernia or intestinal blockage. It can also happen if you have stomach flu or food poisoning and continue to vomit after your stomach is empty.