Reflux Gourmet vs Gaviscon Advance

Key Takeaways

• Gaviscon Advance and Reflux Gourmet are both supplements that relieve acid reflux using sodium alginate to form a barrier between the stomach and esophagus.
• Reflux Gourmet is an all-natural solution based in the U.S. It is considered safe for adults, children, and pregnant people.
• Gaviscon Advance is a tried-and-true option available in the U.K. and Europe, but is not sold in the U.S. anymore. It is a stronger medication for adults and pregnant people.
• Reflux Gourmet comes out on top in price, taste, and availability, making it an accessible and effective solution for sufferers of acid reflux in the U.S.

Heartburn. Everyone has felt it – and I’m not talking about the warm fuzzy feelings from a Hallmark movie or that burning feeling of a first crush. We’re talking about the uncomfortable and unwelcome guest who shows up at family BBQs and company dinners. It is an uninvited feeling that often brings its friends: discomfort, pain, and embarrassment. If this has happened to you (or does so frequently), you’re not alone. Indigestion and acid reflux affect millions of people every day, which is why we’re going to talk about how to find relief.

For years, people have depended on Gaviscon Advance for more complete relief than simple antacids. However, if you’re in the U.S., you might have noticed that Gaviscon Advance is no longer available. There are other products labeled with the same name, but they no longer contain the same ingredients they once did. It’s sold in the U.K., but can be difficult, and sometimes impossible, to import for consumers in the U.S. 

In this article, I’ll compare Gaviscon Advance to one of its top U.S.-based competitors, Reflux Gourmet, to see how it stacks up. Reflux Gourmet is a newer, natural product that offers users fast and effective relief from acid reflux. We’ll break down their ingredients, safety, and real-world reviews to help you find the best option for relief.

What is Gaviscon Advance?

Introduced in the 1990s, Gaviscon Advance became a popular medicine known for its use of alginates to stop acid reflux. If you’re not familiar with alginates, they are a compound that comes from brown seaweed. They’re used in food to thicken and stabilize, and in pharmaceuticals to treat acid reflux and other GI conditions.

How It Works

Gaviscon Advance worked so well for many people because of these alginates, which form a raft or barrier on top of the stomach’s contents, keeping them from coming back up the esophagus. This essentially keeps everything where it should be while you’re digesting, eliminating the throat-burning feeling that is heartburn. 

It also uses potassium bicarbonate, which has antacid properties, to neutralize stomach acid and make digestion more comfortable. 

What is Reflux Gourmet?

Reflux Gourmet is a newer player in the fight against acid reflux, but they know what they’re doing. Created by ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctors, Reflux Gourmet also uses alginates to keep stomach contents in the stomach and out of the esophagus. 

How It Works

It uses a proprietary blend of ingredients to achieve relief above that which you would find from an antacid or other forms of heartburn relief. Reflux Gourmet contains sodium alginate from brown seaweed to form the protective barrier between the stomach and the esophagus.

Part of its unique blend also includes calcium pantothenate (a form of Vitamin B5) to ease discomfort caused by acid reflux, and sodium bicarbonate to aid in neutralizing stomach acid. 

Ingredient Comparison

Knowing that Reflux Gourmet and Gaviscon Advance provide similar results, ingredients become a big factor. As someone who favors more natural products, this was important for me. It’s incredibly difficult to keep chemicals out of our bodies, but whenever I have the option to know and choose what I’m putting into my body, I usually take it. So let’s dive into the ingredients for both products.

Active Ingredients

Both products list Sodium Alginate as an active ingredient. It’s really what sets them apart from other acid reflux products. Gaviscon Advance does contain more alginate than Reflux Gourmet, but that may not necessarily matter. More isn’t always better when it comes to supplements and medications. I want enough to get the job done, but not so much that it lingers in my system without any more benefits. 

The antacid used in Reflux Gourmet is sodium bicarbonate, which is also used in some Alka-Seltzer products. If you’re someone who has had success with Alka-Seltzer, Reflux Gourmet may be a good option to build on additional relief through its combination with alginates.

The antacid used in Gaviscon Advance is calcium bicarbonate, which is also found in Tums. If you prefer Tums products over Alka-Seltzer, consider choosing Gaviscon Advance to multiply its effects. 

Reflux Gourmet lists one other active ingredient, Calcium Pantothenate, that Gaviscon Advance does not. From what I can tell, it is there primarily to give the user greater relief from discomfort and pain for a three-fold result: Reflux gourmet stops acid from coming up, neutralizes it, and reduces any discomfort associated with it. That’s a win for me.

Other Ingredients

Active ingredients aside, Reflux Gourmet lists 5 other ingredients, and Gaviscon Advance lists 8. All of Reflux Gourmet’s ingredients are natural and are considered safe for kids and people who are pregnant. Gaviscon Advance does not make claims about the source of its ingredients, but it is safe during pregnancy. It is also lower in sodium than other Gaviscon products, but still has more than Reflux Gourmet.

The Winner: Reflux Gourmet for natural relief from ingredients you can pronounce; Gaviscon Advance for higher concentration levels and potentially stronger effects.

Effectiveness & Real-World Reviews

Product reviews tell us a lot. At the time of this writing, there were just over 6,400 reviews for Reflux Gourmet on Amazon, giving it an overall rating of 4.2. That tells me people like it and that there’s still room for improvement, which will likely come because Reflux Gourmet is a growing brand. Customers said it worked well to relieve acid reflux and GERD symptoms, especially at night (as long as it was taken a while before bed). They also frequently mentioned the flavors and how they were better than expected and much more palatable than other options. This makes it easier to consume if you need relief from reflux on a more regular basis.

Gaviscon’s U.K. Amazon storefront shows a rating of 4.7, but from only 32 reviews, so I assume most people purchasing it are not reviewing it, since it notes that it’s been purchased over a thousand times in the last month. Reviewers commented positively on how well it works and that the taste is “ok” and has a medicine-like flavor. Other reviews described the flavor as thick and chalky, making it harder to tolerate for some users. 

The Winner: Reflux Gourmet for taste, relief, and palatability.

Price & Where to Purchase

Price is an important factor when comparing medicines and supplements, and these are no exception. Currently, Reflux Gourmet is listed on Amazon at $28 USD for an 8-oz tube, which provides approximately 47 servings. Gaviscon Advance is £12 or about $16 USD for a 250ml bottle, which contains approximately 25 servings. After a little math, this makes Reflux Gourmet $0.60/serving and Gaviscon Advance $0.64/serving, making both products almost neck-and-neck in price. 

But here’s where things get tricky. You can’t buy this type of Gaviscon Advance in the U.S. (not even on Amazon), so you’re forced to purchase it from a store in the U.K. or Europe and have it shipped here. This would be fine in many cases, but I’ve heard from several other reviews and customers that it frequently gets stopped at customs and never arrives. Reflux Gourmet is based out of California and is available online through major retailers, including Amazon and Walmart.

The Winner: If you’re in the U.S., Reflux Gourmet is much easier to come by. If you’re in the U.K. or Europe, Gaviscon Advance may be easier to find.

The Conclusion

Both products are great, each serving its own purpose. Reflux Gourmet is the U.S.-based, all-natural option for acid reflux relief. Gaviscon Advance is the tried-and-true medicine if you can find it. 

The winner for me is clear: Reflux Gourmet. I live in the U.S. and don’t want to jump through countless hoops to import a medicine that has more synthetics and additives. I’ll gladly hop on Amazon and have natural relief in 2 days or less. If I’m having acid reflux, I also don’t want to be choking down chalky medicine when I’m already feeling bad. I’d rather take a quick fix that tastes better than what’s trying to come up. If you need a maximum strength medicine and live outside the U.S. or know a way to get past customs, Gaviscon Advance is for you. But for the rest of us, Reflux Gourmet is the way to go.