Acid Reflux: What Obesity has to do with it.

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Eight studies from the researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, US, indicated that the symptoms of Acid Reflux Disease are increased by having a high BMI or body mass index. Acid Reflux symptoms can increase by as much as 50 percent in overweight people compared to people with normal weight. Obesity is not good news at all.

In 2006, a Dr. B Jacobson, from Boston University School of Medicine, USA, showed that any excess weight might have a negative effect on digestive health. A person of normal weight who gained just a bit of weight , still looked fine , and was not obese could still become more prone to Acid Reflux Disease. Conversely, if a person suddenly noticed his/her Acid Reflux symptoms become more severe, losing a few pounds could help alleviate the symptoms

So why does obesity matter?

Picture layers and layers of extra body fat squeezing the stomach, pushing it in, containing and trapping stomach acid in natural folds formed in the stomach. Add the effects of digested food and the results could be a hernia. We're not even considering hormonal changes in your body that can cause obesity and other problems in your body 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.

About the Author

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