Health
Expert warns of ‘silent epidemic’ that puts men’s health at serious risk
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While gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects both men and women, men tend to experience more severe symptoms and complications.
Studies show that men have higher acid exposure and are nearly twice as likely to develop Barrett’s esophagus, a condition that can lead to esophageal cancer if left untreated.
Esophageal cancer is up to nine times more common in men, making them far more likely to progress from chronic reflux to serious outcomes.
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Dr. Daryl Gioffre, gut health specialist, certified nutritionist and author of “Get Off Your Acid” and “Get Off Your Sugar,” spoke with Fox News Digital about how acid reflux is becoming a “silent epidemic” among men — and what they can do about it.
“This isn’t just about heartburn, but about systemic inflammation that starts in the gut and spreads throughout the body,” Gioffre said.
While gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects both men and women, men tend to experience more severe symptoms and complications. (iStock)
“Acid reflux is the body’s alarm system, warning that the gut, metabolism and stress response are all out of balance.”
‘The perfect storm’
Men today are living in a “pressure cooker,” Gioffre warned. “Chronic stress, poor sleep, processed foods, alcohol and medication overuse are destroying gut health and digestion,” he said.
“Combine that with typical diets heavier in meat, alcohol and ultraprocessed foods, and a greater tendency to ignore symptoms, and you’re breeding a perfect storm for chronic inflammation and increased risk of reflux compared to women.”
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Late-night eating, larger portions, less fiber and high caffeine intake also stack the deck against men, he said. In addition to dietary choices, men’s lifestyle behaviors can also impact digestion.
Late-night eating and larger portions are part of what make men more prone to acid reflux and other digestive issues. (iStock)
“Many men skip meals, eat too quickly and rely on convenience foods stripped of minerals and fiber,” Gioffre said.
Over time, this “ongoing acid assault” erodes the gut lining, drives acid upward and turns normal esophageal cells into precancerous Barrett’s cells, increasing cancer risk dramatically, he warned.
Biggest food culprits
When it comes to ultraprocessed foods, Gioffre called out three specific components that worsen acid reflux: refined salt, sugar and seed oils.
“Together, they inflame the gut and weaken both digestion and the lower esophageal sphincter, the valve that keeps acid in the stomach where it belongs,” he said.
“Men need to slow down, eat foods that support digestion and strengthen the gut, and stop relying on quick fixes.”
Men also tend to drink more coffee than women, often two to three cups a day, usually on an empty stomach, Gioffre pointed out.
“That constant caffeine hit strips minerals, dehydrates the body and spikes acidity — all of which increase the risk of reflux.”
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Ultimately, he said, “men need to slow down, eat foods that support digestion and strengthen the gut, and stop relying on quick fixes. Otherwise, reflux will only keep getting worse and harder to treat.”
Biological differences
There are some biological differences between the genders that contribute to men’s higher risk of severe gastrointestinal conditions, according to Gioffre.
“Men produce less protective mucus and saliva — the body’s natural defense system that buffers acid when it backflows into the esophagus. So when acid reflux strikes, it hits harder,” he said.
Some examples of alkaline-rich foods include leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and mineral water or spring water. (iStock)
“That acid burns and erodes tissue that was never designed to handle acid in the first place, setting the stage for inflammation, damage and long-term complications.”
Younger men also tend to carry more visceral (abdominal) fat, Gioffre noted, which increases pressure in the stomach and forces acid up into the esophagus.
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Hormones also play a role.
“Estrogen in women appears to protect the esophagus by improving blood flow and mucosal repair, protection men have much less of,” the doctor said. “Without lower levels than women, their tissue where reflux hits doesn’t recover as quickly from repeated acid exposure.”
7 things to start doing right now
Gioffre recommends that men take the following simple steps to immediately begin lowering their risk.
No. 1: Stop eating three hours before bed
“One of the biggest and most overlooked causes of acid reflux is eating too close to bedtime,” Gioffre said. “When you lie down after a meal, gravity is no longer helping to keep acid in your stomach where it belongs, so it’s much easier for it to travel up the wrong way into your esophagus.”
Reflux symptoms often get worse at night, the doctor noted — “and it’s why so many men wake up coughing, choking or with a burning throat, hoarse voice or sour taste in their mouth.” (iStock)
This is why reflux symptoms often get worse at night, he noted — “and it’s why so many men wake up coughing, choking or with a burning throat, hoarse voice or sour taste in their mouth.”
Gioffre said it’s best to stop eating three hours before bed, which gives the body time to fully digest, empty the stomach and drop acid levels before lying down.
No. 2: Remove common reflux triggers
Common triggers include garlic, onions, spicy foods, alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, citrus fruits and carbonated water, according to Gioffre.
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“All of these weaken the lower esophageal sphincter, the valve that keeps stomach acid where it belongs,” he said. “Once that muscle relaxes, acid flows upward, causing heartburn by inflaming and irritating the esophageal and throat lining.”
“If you want to heal reflux naturally, you can’t just change what you eat — you have to change how you live.”
The doctor also recommends adding back alkaline minerals, digestive enzymes and a high-quality probiotic. Some examples of alkaline-rich foods include leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and mineral water or spring water.
No. 3: Stay hydrated
Gioffre recommends starting the morning with warm lemon water with a teaspoon of local honey, or a tea with slippery elm.
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“This helps soothe and calm the upper GI tract and eases reflux,” he said. It’s also important to stay hydrated throughout the day, the doctor added.
No. 4: Stay grounded
Simple grounding practices, like walking barefoot in the grass, doing deep breathing or just stepping outside to reconnect with nature, can help promote gut health.
Esophageal cancer is up to nine times more common in men, making them far more likely to progress from chronic reflux to serious outcomes. (iStock)
“These activate your parasympathetic ‘rest-and-digest’ system, calm your gut and keep acid levels in check naturally,” Gioffre said. “Get outside and move after meals, and swap your late-night snack for deep breathing or stretching.”
No. 5: Manage stress and sleep
When men don’t sleep well, the body produces more cortisol, which is the main stress hormone.
“High cortisol keeps you locked in a constant state of fight-or-flight, and when you’re in that mode, your body isn’t focused on rest, digest or repair — it’s focused on survival,” Gioffre said.
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In this state, blood flow is pulled away from the gut and sent to the muscles and brain, he noted, which means digestion slows down, stomach acid production drops and food sits in the stomach for too long, which leads to bloating, gas and more reflux.
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“If you want to heal reflux naturally, you can’t just change what you eat — you have to change how you live,” Gioffre said. “Quality sleep and stress management are non-negotiable if you want to restore your gut and calm acid at its root cause.”
Health
Man’s extreme energy drink habit leads to concerning medical discovery, doctors say
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Eight energy drinks per day may lead to serious health consequences, recent research suggests.
A relatively healthy man in his 50s suffered a stroke from the overconsumption of unnamed energy beverages, according to a scientific paper published in the journal BMJ Case Reports by doctors at Nottingham University Hospitals in the U.K.
The unnamed man was described as “normally fit and well,” but was experiencing left-side weakness, numbness and ataxia, also known as poor coordination or unsteady walking.
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When the man sought medical attention, it was confirmed via MRI that he had suffered an ischemic thalamic stroke, the report stated.
The patient’s blood pressure was high upon admission to the hospital, was lowered during treatment and then rose again after discharge, even though he was taking five medications.
The 50-year-old man (not pictured) admitted to drinking eight energy drinks per day. (iStock)
The man revealed that he consumed eight cans of energy drink per day, each containing 160 mg of caffeine. His caffeine consumption had not been recorded upon admission to the hospital.
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Once the man stopped drinking caffeine, his blood pressure normalized, and he was taken off antihypertensive medications.
High caffeine content can raise blood pressure “substantially,” a doctor confirmed. (iStock)
Based on this case, the authors raised the potential risks associated with energy drinks, especially regarding stroke and cardiovascular disease.
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They also highlighted the importance of “targeted questioning in clinical practice and greater public awareness.”
The authors say this case draws attention to the potential dangers of over-consuming energy drinks. (iStock)
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel reacted to the case study in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“This case report illustrates the high risk associated with a large volume of energy drink consumption, especially because of the high caffeine content, which can raise your blood pressure substantially,” said Siegel, who was not involved in the study.
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“In this case, the large amount of caffeine appears to have led directly to very high blood pressure and a thalamic stroke, which is likely a result of that soaring blood pressure.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the case study authors and various energy drink brands for comment.
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Health
Relationship coach blames Oprah for pushing family estrangement ‘for decades’
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Oprah Winfrey is shining a light on family estrangement, which she calls “one of the fastest-growing cultural shifts of our time” — but one expert says the media mogul helped fuel that very culture.
“A Cornell University study now shows that almost one-third of Americans are actively estranged from a family member,” Winfrey said on a recent episode of “The Oprah Podcast,” referring to adult children going “no-contact” with parents, siblings or entire family systems.
Winfrey said the trend is a “silent epidemic” that can be especially relevant during the holidays.
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But family and relationship coach Tania Khazaal, who focuses on fighting “cutoff culture,” took to social media to criticize Winfrey for acting as if the estrangement crisis appeared “out of thin air.”
“Now Oprah is shocked by the aftermath of estrangement, after being one of the biggest voices pushing it for decades,” Canada-based Khazaal said in an Instagram video, which drew more than 27,000 likes and 3,000 comments.
Oprah Winfrey recently discussed what she called a “silent epidemic” of family estrangement on her podcast. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Khazaal claimed that Winfrey’s messaging started in the 1990s and has contributed to a cultural shift where walking away became the first resort, not the last.
According to the relationship coach, millennials, some of whom grew up watching Oprah, are the leading demographic cutting off family members — and even if it wasn’t intentional, “the effect has absolutely been harmful,” Khazaal told Fox News Digital.
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The coach, who has her own history with estrangement, questioned why Winfrey is now treating the issue as a surprising crisis.
“Now she hosts a discussion with estranged parents and estranged kids, speaking on estrangement like it’s some hidden, sudden, heartbreaking epidemic that she had no hand in,” she said in her video.
Nearly one-third of Americans are estranged from a family member, research shows. (iStock)
Khazaal said she believes discussions about estrangement are necessary, but insists that people shouldn’t “rewrite history.”
“Estrangement isn’t entertainment or a trending conversation piece,” she added. “It’s real families, real grief, parents dying without hearing their child’s voice.”
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Winfrey reportedly responded in the comments, writing, “Happy to have a conversation about it — but not on a reel. Will have my producer contact you if you’re interested.” But the comment was later deleted due to the backlash it received, Khazaal told Fox News Digital.
“I would still be open to that discussion,” Khazaal said. “The first thing I’d want her to understand is simple: Setting aside cases of abuse or danger, the family unit is the most sacred structure we have.”
Experts emphasize that estrangement should be a last resort. (iStock)
“When children lose their sense of belonging at home, they search for it in the outside world,” she added. “That’s contributing to the emotional fragility we’re seeing today.”
Her critique ignited a debate online, with some social media users saying Khazaal is voicing a long-overdue concern.
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“The first time I heard, ‘You can love them from a distance’ was from Oprah … in the ’90s,” one woman said.
“My son estranged himself from us for five years,” one mother commented. “The pain, hurt and damage never goes away.”
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Others, however, argued that Winfrey’s podcast episode was empathetic and that estrangement shouldn’t be oversimplified.
Mental health experts say the conversation around estrangement is more complex than any single celebrity influence, and reflects broader cultural shifts.
Experts say today’s focus on boundaries and emotional well-being has reshaped family expectations. (iStock)
In the episode with Winfrey, Joshua Coleman, a California-based psychologist, said, “The old days of ‘honor thy mother and thy father,’ ‘respect thy elders’ and ‘family is forever’ has given way to much more of an emphasis on personal happiness, personal growth, my identity, my political beliefs, my mental health.”
Coleman noted that therapists sometimes become “detachment brokers” by unintentionally green-lighting estrangement.
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Jillian Amodio, a licensed master’s social worker at the Maryland-based Waypoint Wellness Center, told Fox News Digital that while public figures like Winfrey help normalize these conversations, estrangement might just be a more openly discussed topic now.
“Estrangement used to be handled privately and quietly,” she said.
Winfrey’s take on family estrangement is prompting a broader discussion amid the holiday season. (iStock)
But even strained relationships can be fixed with the right support, experts say.
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Susan Foosness, a North Carolina-based clinical director of patient programs at Rula Health, said families can strengthen their relationships by working with a mental health professional to improve communication, learn healthier conflict-resolution skills, and build trust and empathy through quality time together.
“No family is perfect,” Foosness told Fox News Digital.
Khazaal agreed, saying, “Parents need to learn how to listen without slipping into justification, and children need help speaking about their pain without defaulting to blame or avoidance.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Winfrey for comment.
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