Gastric pH response to Ensure Plus® and GORD subtypes
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Pilot study of gastric pH profile following Ensure Plus® (oral nutritional supplement) in patients with GORD
IRAS ID
366542
Contact name
Qasim Aziz
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Mary University of London (Queen Mary)
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a common disease in which stomach contents flow back into the oesophagus, causing symptoms such as heartburn and throat discomfort. GORD includes several subtypes, ranging from clearly abnormal acid reflux (pathological GORD) to conditions where symptoms occur despite normal acid exposure (non-pathological GORD). Although these groups share some features, their underlying mechanisms may differ. In particular, little is known about whether gastric acid secretion varies across GORD subtypes.
This study investigates whether measuring gastric pH after drinking Ensure Plus®, a standard nutritional drink, can provide useful information about gastric acid secretion in patients with GORD. This method is simple, non-invasive, and can be added easily to the routine multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH (MII-pH) test, which is already used to assess reflux.
We will recruit 60 adult patients who are referred for routine oesophageal physiology testing at the Royal London Hospital. After the standard MII-pH catheter is placed, participants will drink 50% Ensure Plus® within three minutes. Gastric pH will then be monitored to assess how long it takes for the stomach to re-acidify from pH 5 to pH 2. This reflects the stomach’s acid-secreting ability. We will compare these results between pathological and non-pathological GORD groups.
Because participants are already undergoing MII-pH testing as part of their clinical care, no additional invasive procedures are required. Ensure Plus® is widely used as a nutritional liquid and participants with relevant allergies are excluded, so risks are expected to be minimal.
Findings from this feasibility study will help determine whether this approach can be used in a larger future study and may contribute to a better understanding of acid secretion patterns in different forms of GORD.REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/PR/0305
Date of REC Opinion
1 Apr 2026
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion