Besides Coffee, Matcha Should Also Avoid GERD Patients

Illustration of matchha. (Pexels/Nipananlifestyle)

JAKARTA - Coffee is a drink that has been advised not to be consumed by people with GERD or stomach acid. This is because coffee contains caffeine that can increase gastric acid production and worsen symptoms of GERD.

However, apart from coffee, the drinks that are currently increasingly popular, namely matcha, should also be avoided by GERD sufferers. It should be noted that matcha also contains caffeine that provides the same effect as coffee for GERD sufferers.

"Matcha is tea too. Tea has caffeine. Caffeine is what makes stomach acid redundant," said Chairman of the Executive Board of the Indonesian Gastroenterology Association (PB PGI), Prof. Ari Fahrial Syam, when met in the SCBD area, Jakarta, on Thursday, August 14, 2025.

Matcha is also usually served with a mixture of milk. Milk contains high fats that can further weaken klept, which is a ring-shaped muscle located between the concavity and the stomach.

If klept weakens and does not function properly, it will make stomach acid rise to the concavity and cause irritation.

"Matcha also uses milk, right, full cream milk is fat. The fat causes the klep to become weak too," he added.

With that, Professor Ari suggested that GERD sufferers avoid consuming matcha, so that symptoms do not worsen and affect the overall condition of the body.

"So whether this match is safe for GERD, I say it's among the things to avoid, because of high levels of caffeine and fatty milk," concluded Professor Ari.