Doctor Says Fasting Helps Reduce Stomach Acid Disease

ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - Internal Medicine Specialist from the Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital (RSCM) Dr. Muhammad Firhat Idrus said fasting helps reduce the incidence and severity of diseases related to stomach acid such as GERD and maag. "The power actually reduces the incidence or reduces the severity of GERD," said Dr. Muhammad Firhat Idrus, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, March 12.

Firhat explained, this is caused by fasting which is forced or regulates the human body to eat at the same time every day, namely during sahur and breaking the fast.

This condition, according to him, helps normalize the condition of a person's body with stomach disease, where some of the causes usually occur because someone does not have a good diet.

As for the recurrence of stomach diseases suffered by a person during fasting, he said, it was actually caused by the type of food and the poor eating when suhoor or breaking the fast.

"The first is a high food with fat. We certainly know anything that is fried or deep fried or brown food, yes, or foods that may be salaries or jeroans," he said.

Firhat explained that high-fat foods can trigger the production of stomach acid, and make the concavity more relaxed, which can cause stomach acid to rise to the concavity.

In addition to high-fat foods, he said, very spicy foods and acidic drinks such as oranges and wines, and soft drinks can also affect this.

"Then, coffee. Coffee is food or drinks that increase stomach acid and increase the risk of stomach acid rising to the concavity," he said.

Furthermore, Firhat concluded, excessive "revenge" diets at the same time either during sahur or iftar time can also affect the onset of diseases related to stomach acid.

Therefore, he appealed to sufferers with diseases related to stomach acid to fast while still paying attention to the types of food and how to eat properly, so that stomach diseases do not interfere with fasting that are being carried out.