What Is Bile Reflux? And Can Diet Help?
Health ConditionsDigestive Health

What Is Bile Reflux? And Can Diet Help?

What Is Bile Reflux? And Can Diet Help?
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Updated on January 22, 2026
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Bile is a digestive fluid produced by the liver to help in the digestion of fat and absorption of nutrients. However, if you experience reflux (the flow of stomach contents into the esophagus), you may also experience bile reflux. No specific diet can treat bile reflux, but managing your diet may help you feel more comfortable if you have acid reflux.

Because diet can’t completely control reflux, you should talk to your doctor about treatment options like medication.

Understanding Bile and Bile Reflux

Bile consists of water, electrolytes, cholesterol, and phospholipids. Your gallbladder stores it until you eat, then secretes bile into your small intestine to help you digest the fat in your food.

Bile helps your body break down fat by emulsifying it and making it more soluble for digestion. Once the digestive system has processed your food, the body either recycles or eliminates the by-products of stomach bile, like cholesterol.

Bile reflux occurs when bile backs up into your stomach and flows into your esophagus (the tube connecting your mouth and stomach). People who have had gallbladder or stomach surgery may have more of a predisposition to bile acid reflux.

Diagnosing bile reflux can be very challenging. It can cause uncomfortable symptoms, including the following:

  • Severe upper abdominal pain
  • Frequent heartburn (a burning sensation in the chest that can reach the throat and cause a sour taste in your mouth)
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting bile, which appears as a yellow-green fluid
  • Coughing or hoarseness
  • Unintended or unwanted weight loss
Treating bile reflux is complex, and the first step is usually to implement anti-reflux strategies, as bile reflux often occurs in conjunction with the reflux of stomach acid and other stomach contents. Doctors may prescribe several medications, including ursodeoxycholic acid, bile acid sequestrants, prokinetic agents, and baclofen. However, few studies have strongly supported the effects of these drugs, and it may take some trial and error until you find one that provides relief.

If medication doesn’t work for you, anti-reflux surgery can strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter to prevent stomach contents and bile from flowing the wrong way.

Making specific changes to the way you eat may help relieve some digestive discomforts, but it can’t completely treat bile reflux.

 Work with your doctor or a dietitian to ensure you’re eating foods that meet your nutritional needs while you undergo treatment for bile reflux.

Can Dietary Changes Help Bile Reflux?

Several dietary changes may help alleviate discomfort for people with bile reflux who also experience acid reflux. Acid reflux occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter opens at the wrong time, allowing stomach acid back up into the esophagus.

 Many people experience both conditions at the same time, and while diet and lifestyle changes don’t seem related to bile reflux, they might help you find some relief for acid reflux.

While bile reflux has no confirmed link to lifestyle factors, some food choices may support reduced acid reflux symptoms:

  • Limiting fatty foods, as these relax the lower esophageal sphincter and slow the release of food from the stomach
  • Limiting or avoiding alcohol, which has a similar effect, as well as irritating the esophagus
  • Avoiding other foods and drinks that increase stomach acid production or relax the lower esophageal sphincter, such as caffeinated and carbonated beverages, citrus fruits, chocolate, dressings made from vinegar, onions, mint, tomato-based foods, and spicy foods
Eating foods lower in fat may also help relieve your symptoms and discomfort. Some lower-fat options include the following:

  • Low-fat or nonfat dairy products, including milk and cheese
  • Egg whites or egg substitutes
  • Crab, shrimp, and light tuna that’s packed in water
  • Beans, peas, and lentils
  • Oatmeal
  • Rice and noodles with low-fat sauces
  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Broths and soups with a vegetable base
  • Low-fat bread and crackers
Changes to your overall approach to eating may support reduced reflux of stomach contents, including acid and bile. This could include eating smaller meals more often to reduce pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter or staying upright for two to three hours after a meal to give your stomach enough time to empty.

People who have acid reflux and who are overweight or have obesity may find that a reduction in body weight also reduces the likelihood of reflux.

Does Upping Your Fiber Intake Help Bile Reflux?

Dietary fiber is the part of plants that your body can't digest or absorb. This essential nutrient helps support healthy digestion and prevents constipation.

 While no strong research suggests that fiber (or any other food) can treat symptoms of bile reflux, fiber does interact with bile in potentially helpful ways.
There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber turns to gel during digestion and can help lower cholesterol levels. It helps absorb the cholesterol and bile in your digestive tract and carries them out of your body in your stool.

A fiber-rich diet may be one way to reduce bile acid levels, according to animal studies, although it’s unclear if soluble fiber reduces them in humans in the same way.

 What's more, eating fibrous foods may also help lower blood cholesterol levels by preventing your body from reabsorbing bile acids.

Good sources of soluble fiber include the following:

  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Grains like oatmeal
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Legumes like lentils and beans

The Takeaway

  • Although treating bile reflux through diet alone isn’t possible, specific dietary changes and limiting foods that relax the lower esophageal sphincter may help manage related discomforts such as acid reflux.
  • Incorporating more soluble fiber into your meals, such as legumes, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, is helpful overall for people with reflux. However, more research is needed to understand its direct effects on bile reflux in humans.
  • Work closely with a healthcare provider to discuss medications or potential surgical options if symptoms are severe. Trial and error is often necessary when treating bile reflux, and you might need surgery if medication doesn’t improve your symptoms.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Bile reflux. Mayo Clinic. January 6, 2022.
  2. Bile. Cleveland Clinic. May 13, 2024.
  3. Hundt M et al. Physiology, Bile Secretion. StatPearls. September 26, 2022.
  4. Bile Reflux. Cleveland Clinic. November 18. 2021.
  5. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Mayo Clinic. April 23, 2025.
  6. Bile reflux. University of Michigan Health-Sparrow.
  7. Low-Fat Foods. American Cancer Society. June 9, 2020.
  8. Fiber. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. April 2022.
  9. Wu X et al. Inclusion of Soluble Fiber During Gestation Regulates Gut Microbiota, Improves Bile Acid Homeostasis, and Enhances the Reproductive Performance of Sows. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. November 17, 2021.
  10. Alahmari LA et al. Dietary fiber influence on overall health, with an emphasis on CVD, diabetes, obesity, colon cancer, and inflammation. Frontiers in Nutrition. December 13, 2024.
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Yuying Luo, MD

Medical Reviewer

Yuying Luo, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai West and Morningside in New York City. She aims to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered, and holistic care for her patients.

Her clinical and research focus includes patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia; patients with lower gastrointestinal motility (constipation) disorders and defecatory and anorectal disorders (such as dyssynergic defecation); and women’s gastrointestinal health.

She graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology and received her MD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was also chief resident. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and was also chief fellow.

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