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. 

“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.

“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.

“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.”

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.”

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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.

“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.”

An experimental drug has shown promise in fighting a hard-to-treat form of bladder cancer known as BCG-unresponsive high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) is an immunotherapy drug that is often the first-line treatment for certain early-stage bladder cancers.

The new drug, TAR-200 — which was evaluated in a trial sponsored and conducted by Janssen Research & Development, LLC, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson — may offer a less invasive alternative to bladder removal surgery.

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TAR-200 is a small, drug-releasing device placed directly into the bladder through a simple outpatient procedure, without general anesthesia, according to the study press release. 

Once inserted, it slowly releases the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine over several weeks.

“Traditionally, these patients have had very limited treatment options. This new therapy is the most effective one reported to date for the most common form of bladder cancer,” said study lead Sia Daneshmand, M.D., director of urologic oncology with Keck Medicine of USC, in a press release. 

“The findings of the clinical trial are a breakthrough in how certain types of bladder cancer might be treated, leading to improved outcomes and saved lives.”

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Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men and the 11th most common cancer in women.

According to the Urology Care Foundation, non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer is found in the tissue that lines the inner surface of the bladder. 

“Bladder cancer is one of the 10 most common cancers worldwide, yet treatment options have remained largely unchanged for over 40 years.”

High-risk NMIBC carries a greater chance of coming back after treatment. This study aimed to find an option for patients whose cancer recurred even after standard therapy.

“The standard treatment plan for these patients was surgery to remove the bladder and surrounding tissue and organs, which has many health risks and may negatively impact patients’ quality of life,” said Daneshmand.

This new therapy could eventually allow some patients to avoid that procedure.

All participants in the study had high-risk NMIBC that did not respond to the standard immunotherapy drug BCG. The study was split into multiple groups who tested different combinations of drugs and treatment methods.

In one group, patients received TAR-200 once every three weeks for about six months, followed by maintenance treatments every 12 weeks for up to two years.

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Among 85 patients in this group, 82.4% showed no detectable signs of cancer after treatment. In that group, 52.9% remained cancer-free at one year, and many stayed cancer-free for more than two years without needing additional therapy.

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In another group of patients with a less aggressive type of early-stage bladder cancer, early disease-free survival rates were 85.3% at six months and 81.1% at nine months. Overall, 94% were able to keep their bladders.

The clinical trial results were published earlier this year in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The researchers emphasized that this is still mid-stage (Phase 2b) data. Longer-term, larger trials and regulatory reviews are still needed before the treatment could become standard care. 

“Because the study didn’t include a traditional comparison (no randomized control arm), we can’t definitively say how TAR-200 stacks up against other treatments in a fair head-to-head way,” the researchers wrote. 

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Patients in this study are a specific subset (BCG-unresponsive and eligible for bladder preservation) and may not represent all bladder-cancer cases.

“Also, follow-up time remains relatively short and the number of patients modest, meaning we don’t yet know how long the benefits will last or how they apply to larger, more diverse groups of people,” the researchers added.

Officials in Tiburon, California, have moved to prohibit the sale of all tobacco.

On Wednesday, the town council unanimously passed an ordinance that would ban the sale of cigarettes, cigars, vapes, e-cigarettes and all other nicotine products.

Tiburon Mayor Holli Thier told Fox News Digital in a statement that she is “pleased to have sponsored” and “voted to save lives and save our environment.”

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“With local youth in Marin County vaping at twice the national average, it is critical that we take all efforts to reduce teen addiction,” she added. “By banning all tobacco sales here in Tiburon, we are preventing youth from getting addicted and protecting our environment.”

Cigarettes are the biggest source of single-use plastic finding its way into rivers, bays and oceans in the world, Thier said.

An anti-tobacco group of high school students from across Marin County, the Youth Advocacy Committee (YAC), were present at a few town council meetings to advocate for the ordinance.

Diana Garcia, a YAC student, reiterated her strong support for the ban. 

“I urge you to keep supporting this amendment to protect the health and future of our youth. You have a chance to set an example for communities to follow,” she said at the Nov. 5 meeting.

In 2022, nearly 50 million U.S. adults reported the use of any tobacco product, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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The CDC also reports that smoking and secondhand smoke exposure cause over 480,000 deaths each year, with “smoking harm[ing] nearly every organ of the body and caus[ing] many diseases.”

The 2023 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps report by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine ranked Marin County as the healthiest California county.

“We remain committed to doing the hard work and changing the outcomes so all in Marin can thrive and live healthy lives,” said Niccore Tyler, Marin County’s health and human services’ chief strategy officer, at the time.

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The California Fuels & Convenience Alliance penned an opposition letter to the town council.

“We believe this complete prohibition sends a discouraging message to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Small businesses, including convenience stores and gas stations, are essential to communities and provide residents with convenient access to everyday necessities,” it read.

“Complete prohibitions on product categories, rather than reasonable regulation, send a message that small businesses may face unpredictable restrictions, creating uncertainty that discourages entrepreneurship and investment in Tiburon,” the letter continued.

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The ordinance is set to take effect in December.