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Instalab ResearchNot in any meaningful, lasting way. A large prospective study tracking more than 48,000 women found no association between milk intake and the risk of developing frequent reflux or heartburn. Coffee, tea, and soda all increased risk, but milk came out neutral. Not protective, not harmful at a population level.
A randomized trial in adults with metabolic syndrome went a step further. Participants ate either a high-dairy diet (3 or more servings per day of milk, yogurt, and cheese) or a low-dairy diet. The result? No difference in heartburn or acid regurgitation between the two groups, whether the dairy was low-fat or full-fat.
So while milk might give you a brief cooling sensation, the data simply do not support the idea that drinking milk reliably prevents or treats heartburn.
For some people, yes. There are a few reasons why.
Your stomach's acid valve may relax. Your lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is the muscle that keeps stomach acid from splashing up into your esophagus. In classic lab experiments, whole milk caused a small but significant decrease in LES pressure, which makes reflux more likely. Non-fat milk, interestingly, had the opposite effect and actually increased LES pressure. High-fat foods in general are known to relax this valve in lab settings, though human trials show mixed results on whether cutting fat alone improves symptoms.
Milk proteins can irritate your gut. Not all milk discomfort is about lactose. In people who report milk intolerance, conventional milk containing both A1 and A2 beta-casein (a type of milk protein) increased bloating, abdominal pain, gas, and altered stools. Milk with only A2 beta-casein caused significantly fewer symptoms. A1-containing milk was also linked to higher levels of fecal calprotectin, a marker of intestinal inflammation. That inflammation and discomfort can overlap with or amplify heartburn symptoms.
Volume matters too. Any large drink, milk included, stretches your stomach. That stretching triggers transient relaxations of the LES, which is actually the main mechanism behind most reflux episodes. A big glass of milk before bed could easily provoke nighttime heartburn, regardless of milk's other properties.
It does, though the evidence is still limited. Here's what the research found across different dairy forms:
The takeaway here is that heavily processed or modified dairy products may be gentler on your gut, but standard milk from the fridge is unlikely to help.
Survey data show that many people already perceive dairy and fatty foods as heartburn triggers and often avoid them for that reason. If you're one of those people, your instincts may be correct.
A few groups should be particularly cautious. In infants and some children, cow's milk protein allergy can present with regurgitation, vomiting, and reflux-like symptoms. Exposure to cow's milk protein can increase weakly acidic reflux episodes in children with this allergy, and the allergic inflammation can disturb gut motility, contributing to symptoms that look just like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This is relevant for parents sorting out whether a fussy, spitting-up baby has reflux, a milk allergy, or both.
If milk isn't the answer, here's what the research does support. For recurring heartburn, clinical guidelines recommend a combination of lifestyle changes and, when needed, medication.
The lifestyle changes with the strongest evidence:
For medication, guidelines suggest a stepwise approach. Start with short-term antacids or alginate antacids as needed for quick relief. If symptoms happen weekly or more, a once-daily proton pump inhibitor (PPI) taken 30 to 60 minutes before breakfast for 4 to 8 weeks is the standard recommendation. If that helps, you taper to the lowest effective dose.
If you're pregnant, management follows a similar ladder but starts with lifestyle changes, then calcium-based antacids, then sucralfate or H2 blockers, with PPIs reserved for more severe cases.
The bottom line is straightforward. Milk is not a treatment for heartburn, and whole or high-fat milk may actually promote reflux by relaxing the valve that keeps acid in your stomach. If you enjoy milk and it doesn't bother you, there's no strong reason to eliminate it. But if you've been reaching for a glass of milk to soothe the burn, the research suggests you're better off with an antacid, a smaller dinner eaten earlier in the evening, and an extra pillow under the head of your mattress.
If heartburn is showing up more than once a week, that's worth a conversation with your doctor. Persistent heartburn that doesn't respond to standard treatment can sometimes signal something else going on, and getting the right diagnosis early makes a real difference.