Does pickle juice relieve heartburn?

Posted by Master, Doctor Mai Vien Phuong - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital

While some people report that drinking pickle juice helps relieve heartburn, others find doing so ineffective, even having the opposite effect, making heartburn worse.

Heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest, often accompanied by a bitter taste in the throat or mouth. Heartburn symptoms may get worse after you eat a large meal or when you are lying down.
Overall, you can successfully treat heartburn symptoms at home. However, if frequent heartburn makes it difficult to eat or swallow, it could be a sign of a more serious medical condition.

Heartburn usually occurs when food from the stomach backs up into the esophagus. The esophagus is a tube that carries food and liquid from the mouth to the stomach. The esophagus connects to the stomach at a junction called the cardiac sphincter or lower esophageal sphincter. If the sphincter of the cardia is working properly, it closes when food leaves the esophagus and enters the stomach.
In some people, the cardiac sphincter doesn't work properly or becomes weakened resulting in stomach contents leaking back into the esophagus. Acid in the stomach can irritate the esophagus and cause heartburn symptoms. This condition is called reflux.
Heartburn can also be the result of a hiatal hernia. This happens when part of the stomach pushes through the diaphragm and into the chest.
Heartburn is also a common condition during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the hormone progesterone can cause the lower esophageal sphincter to relax. This allows stomach contents to enter the esophagus, causing irritation.

Other health or lifestyle conditions can worsen your heartburn, including:
Smoking; Overweight or obese; Consumption of caffeine, chocolate or alcohol; Eat spicy food; Lie down immediately after eating; Take certain medications, such as aspirin or ibuprofen.

Many people experience heartburn from time to time. However, you should contact your doctor if you experience heartburn more than 2 times per week or the heartburn does not improve with treatment. This could be a sign of a more serious condition.
Heartburn often occurs with other digestive conditions, such as ulcers, sores in the lining of the esophagus and stomach, or gastroesophageal reflux disease. Contact your doctor if you experience heartburn and develop:
Difficulty swallowing ; Pain when swallowing; Dark, tarry, or bloody stools; Short of breath; Pain from your back to your shoulder; Dizzy ; Floating; Sweating when you have chest pain. Heartburn is not related to a heart attack. However, many people with heartburn believe they are having a heart attack because the symptoms can be very similar. You could have a heart attack if you have:
Severe or crushing chest pain; Shortness of breath; Jaw pain; Arm pain.

Pickle juice is the liquid used to turn cucumbers into pickles and then preserve them. It typically contains water, salt, vinegar, and calcium chloride, as well as seasonings or flavorings for specific pickles such as dill, sweet, or bread and butter varieties.
Some people drink pickle juice as a home remedy to treat heartburn or acid reflux, but you may be wondering if this method is scientifically proven?
4.1 Efficacy of pickle juice for heartburn The effectiveness of drinking pickle juice for reducing heartburn symptoms seems to be subjective. Some people find it useful, while others do not. There are no scientific studies to support the use of pickle juice as a treatment for heartburn.
Many theories suggest that pickle juice is a concentrated source of Lactobacillus, a healthy probiotic bacteria found in your gut microbiome and on the skin of cucumbers. Consuming pickle juice is thought to help replenish the existing good bacteria in your gut, soothing acid reflux up the esophagus. However, most commercially prepared pickles are pasteurized. This means they have gone through a heat-based process to kill any potentially harmful bacteria before being sold to consumers.
The pasteurization process also removes good bacteria, which means there is no active Lactobacillus left in most pickle juice found on store shelves.
Furthermore, while the vinegar in pickle juice may have a strong enough smell and taste to overpower how much you notice heartburn, this extra acid in your digestive tract can make your symptoms worse. Your heartburn gets worse.
While some people report that pickle juice helps relieve their heartburn, many find no effect or the opposite effect. The effectiveness of pickle juice on heartburn is subjective and not supported by scientific evidence.

4.2 Other conditions Technically, heartburn is a symptom of other conditions, such as acid reflux, GERD, and indigestion. While each of these conditions has their own unique characteristics, they all involve stomach acid backing up into your esophagus in a way that it shouldn't, leading to discomfort.
Therefore, pickle juice is also unlikely to help alleviate these other conditions. No research has shown that drinking pickle juice, or other acids, is an effective treatment for acid reflux, GERD, or indigestion.
You are better off treating these conditions with more supposedly reliable remedies..

The use of pickle juice to relieve heartburn symptoms seems to be subjective, with no solid evidence.
Here are some more reliable home remedies for heartburn:
Take an over-the-counter antacid; Avoid lying down too soon after a meal; Keep your head slightly elevated when going to bed at night; Reduce your portion sizes to avoid overeating and indigestion; Wear loose-fitting clothing, especially around the waist, as this discourages acid reflux; Make dietary modifications to reduce consumption of carbonates and acidic foods such as tomatoes, citrus fruits, and vinegar; Take other medications that may be prescribed by a healthcare provider; If you are experiencing persistent heartburn symptoms and are unable to control them with lifestyle changes, you should talk to your healthcare provider for further guidance, especially if You are pregnant.
In fact, there is no scientific evidence to support using pickle juice as a home remedy for heartburn. Other effective and reliable treatments for heartburn include lifestyle changes, dietary modifications, and certain medications.
In addition, each person should practice the habit of periodic health check-ups to screen for diseases effectively and safely.