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If You Have Barrett’s

If you already have Barrett’s esophagus, you will need to talk to your doctor about surveillance but there are some factors that you have control over.  Risk factors for Barrett’s esophagus include male gender, white race, and family history. Obviously one cannot control these things.  However, things that are also associated with Barrett’s esophagus include obesity, smoking, and alcohol use.  If you are heavy, you can do something about that.  If you smoke and drink, you can reduce or eliminate those things.

Elizabeth Montgomery, MD

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 at 10:46 am and is filed under research. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

7 Responses to “If You Have Barrett’s”

  1. Tim Says:
    April 7th, 2009 at 6:47 am

    Are there any dietary or lifestyle choices (besides reduced smoking and alcohol use) you would recommend?

    I have heard a few in recent months, including:

    * green apples every day
    * sleeping with your head and chest in an elevated position

  2. kdunbar1 Says:
    April 16th, 2009 at 4:24 pm

    Tim – Hi, thanks for your questions. Dietary changes can be helpful for patients with Barrett’s and I’ll put them in a separate post.

  3. JILL Says:
    May 6th, 2009 at 6:53 pm

    I WANT TO KNOW WHAT FOODS CAN I EAT WITH BARRETS????

  4. JILL Says:
    May 6th, 2009 at 6:57 pm

    I WANT TO KNOW WHICH FOODS CAN I EAT/IS IT MAINLY THE CITRUS FRITS AND ONIONS AND TOMATOE SAUCES ETC OR IS CHICKEN ,FISH, CHEESE, COTTAGE CHEESE, SALAD ETC OK??AND WHAT ABOUT WATER???? AND MAYONAISE,,,, AND WHAT DO YOU DO FOR DRESSINGS IF YOU CANTHAVE ONIONS AND PEPPERS AND TOMATOES???NOBODY REALLY EXPLAINED THIS ALL VERY WELL TO ME???

  5. emontgo2 Says:
    May 24th, 2009 at 12:04 pm

    Essentially, you should not eat what sets off your reflux. You probably know this best. For many people, citrus indeed sets off reflux, as do chocolate and onions whereas dairy tends not to as much. Enjoy the foods you list if they do not exacerbate your reflux.

    E. Montgomery, MD

  6. John Says:
    October 3rd, 2009 at 8:47 pm

    E Montgomery,Md

    I want to know since I cant have hardly anything. What can I eat?

  7. Todd Says:
    October 19th, 2009 at 11:27 am

    Dr Montgomery or Dunbar,

    I was recently diagnosed with BE with no dysplasia. One thing I have not seen any information on is what percentage of people in my stage will or will not progress to LGD? Additionally what is the percentages of LGD patients progressing to HGD? Is there any information on this or should I assume that given time my BE will progress to ta higher stage. Is it possible with acid control and lifestyle changes to keep one’s particular Barrett’s stage status quo? What is the usual time frame of progression from stage to stage?

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