b88

It is stated that any high intensity exercises will make your acid reflux issues worse. Cycling is listed as one of the exercises to avoid, including running and weight lifting. However if you are overweight, doctors strongly recommend you exercise to lose weight because it exacerbates the symptoms of gerd. They recommend less intense activities such as walking. If I had to lose weight, I don't think walking is going to do much for me. My feet will give out before my stomach shrinks.

Anyone here who is on gerd medication and feel worse after a higher intensity ride.

TakingMyTime

I've never noticed any aggravation due to exercise, I ride and weight lift regularly. I am approximately 15 lbs overwieght right now but when that comes off the GERD goes down. My acid reflux is mostly triggered by... the wrong foods, eating too late in the day and/or stuffing myself.

Juan Foote

Before I got on a "good" medication for acid reflux, cycling certainly was an activity which would cause me to feel the issue. I won't say trigger, because the cycling didn't cause the issue, just to feel the pain due to the position. I carried Tums (or similar) with me for some time not knowing that other OTC medications control the condition far better. Now that I take a more proper medication for the condition it is very rare to have symptoms outside of (as TakingMyTime pointed out).

jackb

I've been on omeprezole for over ten years and I hike, bike, and ski. No problems ever.

Iride01 

My GI doctor says I have GERD. I'll take Omeprazole (Prilosec OTC) for a time and then quit for awhile. Then when I start having issues again I'll do a course of medication again. I've probably only once or twice felt bad due reflux or indigestion when on a bike. Even for the many rides I do in the upper zones of 4 and 5. Usually it's when I'm doing nothing in the evenings that I'm troubled sometimes with it.

If I gave up doing all the things they say cause my various maladies, then I'd not do anything... but then again they say not doing anything is bad too.

RCMoeur 

I've had GERD since 2003, and it progressed into my having Barrett's Esophagus, where the esophageal cells start mutating under the acid stress. So if you have reflux, have it checked regularly by a gastro specialist, because the mutations involved in Barrett's don't make you any faster (unlike the comic books) and greatly increase one's risk of hard-to-detect fatal cancers. And you can never give Dr. Barrett his esophagus back, no matter how hard you try.

None of my doctors or specialists ever suggested eliminating or cutting back on cycling. They did note that proton pump inhibitors such as pantoprazole can affect bone microrepair and density in the long run, and for me to try to compensate with calcium and load-bearing exercise. But it's still a OK tradeoff vs. misery and even greater cancer risk.

I've had no problems I can recall re reflux & actually riding, even with intense efforts (which then can trigger my exercise-induced asthma, which is another story). Other than some nausea after a series of extreme all-out intervals, but that's not reflux, it's just good old-fashioned retching (OK, enough of that...)

After riding or anything else, I do need to rest with my head elevated, as my pyloric valve is shot and having gunk come up (even non-acidic) into the lungs isn't fun.

Mtracer

I know nothing about acid reflux of gerd. But when it comes to weight loss, walking is considered excellent. It's not a high intensity workout, so you won't burn as many calories per hour as alternatives, but the advantage is you will burn the calories directly from fat. I.E., the you'll be in the fat burning zone. In the end, it just means you are more directly burning the fat. The overall calorie deficit is still what matters.

In the end, unless you expect to do hours of moderate to high intensity exercise, you won't really burn that many extra calories and you may increase your appetite to match. I think many people make the mistake of think that 1-2 hour bike ride now allows them to eat a whole pizza, when it reality, it might equal one slice.

What exercise tends to get you, beyond just better health, is it should increase your calories burned even when not exercising. In the end, you can't outrun your fork.

Obviously if you're on a crash diet, trying to create as large a calorie deficit as you can, then more activity will help create a larger deficit. But these tend to be unhealthy forms of weight loss. Slow and steady wins the weight loss race. And you don't need hours and hours of intense exercise to do that.

I'm not trying to talk you out of cycling. Just saying walking is still a great activity for exercise if other issues don't allow you to cycle. Though I certainly hope you can make cycling work for you.

And best of luck to you on your cycling and weight loss journey!!

b88

Not doing anything is extremely bad. My acid issues is so bad hard to eat and breathe from swollen throat. Specialist appt months away. I stopped biking in Oct due to serious gerd. Now I pulled out all my biking pants and shorts, (which were loose on me last year), cannot get the zippers up. That's gotta be 10+ lbs in the waist more.

b88

If you have Barrett's that's gotta affect you when riding briskly. The esophagus area is usually more constricted making it more difficult to breathe.

RCMoeur 

As noted in my earlier post, the asthma in the trachea usually kicks in (even with copious use of an inhaler) long before the esophagus gets into the discussion.

Looking back, I don't see how I was able to race competitively and win for several seasons in the 80s, even with a younger body and no reflux issues. Must've been some unlisted ingredients in the Primatene I used back then.

(what is the statute of limitations on medication violations again...?)

rosefarts

https://www.ucihealth.org/medical-se...tment-for-gerd

Miradaman

I was diagnosed with Barret's in 2018. Acid reflux/chronic heartburn is nothing to screw around with. I've been on pantoprazole ever since and it's been a game-changer. No more reflux and heartburn from exercise or strenuous activity, ever. The only time I get it now is if I eat too much, too late in the evening and then lie down to go to sleep. If I suspect I overdid something, I'll go to sleep in the recliner.

Miradaman

Must depend on the severity. Mine was diagnosed early and I have no problems breathing when doing any sort of cardio workout.

Iride01 

So it sounds like you haven't been riding your bike, yet still have the issues. And apparently more serious than what I experience. If you ride your bike will it be any worse. Or will you just experience the same issues but maybe get the benefits of the exercise to keep you trim and healthy. The GERD or Barret's not withstanding.

JohnDThompson 

There is concern that long-term use of proton pump inhibitors like esomeprazole, lansoprazole, omeprazole, pantoprazole and rabeprazole may have adverse effects:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6463334/

Certainly, there are situations where this risk is overshadowed by other personal health risks. Even though these medications are now available over the counter, it is important to keep your doctor aware that you are using them.

GetUpnGo

This assumes that exercise is effective for weight loss. I think studies in recent years have been showing that that's not the case. Meaning, weight loss is more about food, hormones, metabolism, etc., not exercise. An article on this:

"Pooling data from six trials, researchers found that a combination of diet and exercise generated no greater weight loss than diet alone after six months." https://time.com/6138809/should-you-...o-lose-weight/

I once lost 70 pounds in two years with a combination of a very clean diet and a LOT of exercise---3,600 miles of biking in the two years plus competitive racquetball, skiing, kayaking, hiking, walking, and gym workouts.

Initially I lost 1 lb per 25 miles of biking. After a while that declined to 1 lb per 50 miles, 1 lb per 100 miles, and in the end biking 150 miles a week led to NO weight loss. In other words, I screwed up my metabolism and that negative change turned out to be permanent. Today I exercise about 5 to 7 hours a week for health and pleasure. That number of hours has NO effect on my weight. Zero.

To the OP, I've had lifelong GERD. Exercise does not impact it, as I long as I avoid things like kayaking after a large meal (exercises where you're bent at the waist and putting stress on the midsection). Weight loss did improve my GERD.

b88

Yes I had gerd on and off for decades. But never as bad as this. Never rode since Oct. Caught covid in Sept. Doc said do not ride for 2 months. On day 12, out of quarantine, I rode a hilly bike trail. Not a good idea. On top of that stupidity, prescribed 2 inhalers for shortness of breath, one is at home, the other is in the car. Lying there gasping for air in the grass, the thought of dying never occurred to me. I was more concerned about a passing cyclist seeing me in this condition. lol

I better not to ride till I get my endoscopy appt in July. A short walk at the mall today put me into stress. Most people won't believe how crippling reflux can be. It could also be post covid effects never went away.

Iride01 

Have you had one prior or will this be your first EGD? Definitely don't miss it either way. A hiatal hernia can add some complication and severity to the GERD. And if you have one they should find it in the EGD. But I don't know if what you described is some of the possible indicators for one.

b88

Had one 10 yrs ago when reflux was mild. He said will def book me in for one but only way they do it now if they can gas you.

cthenn

Not exactly acid reflux/GERD issues, but I suffer from on and off gastritis. I'm currently in an "on" cycle for several months, and I've finally been able to pinpoint that cycling is pretty bad for my condition. I think because I'm slowly improving, the discomfort is more isolated, so I'm able to actually feel where in my stomach where the problem areas are. And for me, it's right where you'd expect for doing hours of intense exercise in the cycling position. I feel tenderness and discomfort in the area right below the breastbone notch in the center of my chest/abdomen, which is clearly exacerbated by riding. I'll be fine for days then after a long ride, a few hours after eating, BAM, I get hit with waves of unrelenting nausea and stomach discomfort. Slowly improves over a week or two if I stay off the bike. Strangely, what actually works for me is if I ride the trainer, sit up as much as I can, keep my torso elongated, and breathe from the lungs, and minimize the diaphragm. It's very difficult to breathe like this for very long lol! The less my stomach is being heaved up and down, shoving acid into my upper stomach/esophagus area, the better I am afterwards. I've come off of a 4 week low intensity, trainer-only program, and I'm feeling much better. Just this last weekend, I was able to do a 20 mile ride, with minimal hills, keeping my HR low and breathing under control without a problem. Hoping this time I've played it smart and am planning on S L O W L Y ramping up intensity, frequency, and distance. GI issues are no joke, they don't go away on their own unless you are insanely disciplined! I've been eating a very strict low-acid diet for what seems like forever...I'm getting soooo sick of chicken breast and white rice haha!

Hope you feel better soon, I've been dealing with my latest round for many many months on and off and it really messes with your life!

Calsun

Doctors are clueless for the most part. Diet plays a large role and think about having a pepperoni pizza with extra garlic at dinner and experiencing acid reflux that night.

A bicyclist exerts 1/5 the effort as someone walking to travel a given distance as the bike supports their body's weight. Exercise is not the answer to losing weight and their is the old saying that you cannot run from your diet that holds true. Exercise increases muscle mass and helps the heart and lungs but check any of the readily available information on how long you would need to walk to compensate for eating one piece of pie or slice of cake.

A keto diet that minimizes carbs is going to result in the fastest safe weight loss and is the most sustainable over time. It is not an easy switch to make for those used to eating fast foods or ultra processed foods that are pulled from the freezer and heated in the microwave oven. But the only cost is for a good blender to get started (is you can convince your partner to also make the change).

KalinDrew

My thoughts are that exercise helps any health condition more than a lot of meds will. cheaper too.