Are Acid Reflux & Obesity Linked?

Researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, in the US, found that eight studies indicated that having a high BMI (body mass index ) increased symptoms of Acid Reflux DiseaseThey found that being overweight increased the odds of having Acid Reflux symptoms by 50 percent when compared to having a normal weight. Being obese was not good news at all.

It was shown in 2006 by Dr. B Jacobson, from Boston University of Medicine, USA, that digestive health is affected by excess weight. A normal weight person gaining a bit of weight, can still look fine and not be considered obese, but could still become more prone to Acid Reflux. Also a person who notices his Acid Reflux symptoms become more severe can shed a few pounds to help relieve those symptoms.

So does being overweight matter?

Imagine layers and layers of excess body fat compressing the stomach, pushing it in, localizing and trapping stomach acids in little natural enclosures in the stomach folds so formed. Then the effects of indiscriminately imbibed food, and resultant hernias. And we are still not considering the hormonal modifications going on in the body that cause your obesity, and possibly, some problems in most of your body functions, like digestion.

Today, 20 percent of Americans suffer from recurring Acid Reflux disease, or GERD. This Acid Reflux then interferes with eating, sleeping, and daily living. Obesity, being almost an epidemic in America today further adds to this percentage, and consequently it has been found to put people at risk for complication and certain cancers including cancer of the esophagus.

Overweight people are prone to weaker esophageal sphincters and tend to develop a condition related to Acid Reflux called a hiatus hernia. This is when the upper part of the stomach bulges out above the diaphragm. There is so much to fit in such a limited space, that folds can become permanent hernias.

Another concern for people suffering from Acid Reflux is that research shows that even when undergoing a surgery for weight loss, Acid Reflux can still worsen. Opinions conflict over whether to treat an overweight person through surgery.

Obesity increases abdominal pressure and causes stomach contents to back into the food pipe. Obesity also contributes to slower movement and less exercise as well as loss of various muscled tones. Among those affected could be the Esophageal Sphincter.

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