Everybody suffer from acidity and heartburn. Whether it is an underweight person who gets heartburn from savoring a pizza or an obese relishing a ham, heartburn and acidity are common. However, when these conditions are left untreated and the symptoms ignored, they can spiral out and lead to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or simply GERD. The improper working of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) leads to the backflow of stomach content, including the stomach acids. The stomach acids cause irritation in the esophagus. This is termed as heartburn. Persistent heartburn later leads to GERD.
According to The New England Journal of Medicine Gastroesophageal reflux disease, with hallmark symptoms of heartburn and acid regurgitation, is a common disorder, affecting up to 60 percent of persons at some time during the course of a year and 20 to 30 percent of persons at least weekly. Gastroesophageal reflux disease accounts for at least 9 million office visits to physicians in the United States each year and costs approximately $10 billion annually.
Over weight and obesity has been blamed for many of the diseases suffered by mankind. And now research has shown that weight plays a role in heartburn, acidity and GERD. Although obesity has long been considered as one of the many reason for acidity and heart burn, what has astonished scientists has been the fact that even a moderate weight gain can lead to an increase in heartburn and acidity. According to report published in New England Journal of Medicine, even a moderate gain in weight doubles the incidence of heartburn and acidity. Similarly, it reported that shedding the pounds cut the risk by about 40 percent.
What does this mean? Well, it means that even if after a weight gain, if your BMI is normal, it still increases the chances of getting heartburn and acid reflux. BMI refers to Body Mass Index. It indicates whether a person is underweight, over weight or is the weight optimum. Research has shown that there is a strong link between weight and heartburn and acidity. Acidity increases along with weight gain in both people with normal BMI and those who’s BMI is above the recommended level.
But why does an increase in weight increase the frequency of heartburn? Many researchers believe that increased weight means increased fat near the abdominal area. This fat increases the pressure around the stomach, which pushes up the stomach content and stomach acids eventually leading to a feeling of heart burn and acid reflux.
Thus research has clearly shown that a strong link exists between weight gain and acidity and heartburn. So before popping those antacid pills, just remember, knock of that extra flab and you will succeed in banishing the bitter taste forever.