Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects more than 60 million American adults at least once a month. Incidentally, the same figure of 60 million accounts for how many American adults are obese. Therefore, it is not surprising that these conditions often overlap.Obesity is characterized as a person having a body mass index of 30 or more, with the normal range being 18.5 to 25. BMI is the measure of dividing one’s body weight in kilograms by the square of one’s height in meters (kg/m2) and is currently the preferred measure of being overweight, obese, or severely obese.
The American Obesity Association states that obesity is the second leading cause of preventative death in the United States.
There are many implications that obesity can have on a person’s life, including the risk of several medical conditions. In fact, according to the AOA, there are more than 30 medical conditions associated with obesity, 15 of those being a strong association. Scientific evidence has found that the prevalence of conditions such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke and others increase as a person’s BMI increases.
Reflux disease is one of the many conditions associated with obesity. GERD is characterized by the weakening or relaxation of the esophageal sphincter, which prevents acidic stomach acid juices and food from flowing back into the esophagus. When the sphincter is not working properly, irritating stomach fluids and food pass back into the esophagus causing the symptom of heartburn. Obesity is one of several factors which weakens the esophageal sphincter.
In addition to there being a significant association between reflux disease and obesity, Norwegian researchers have recently found that female sex hormones also play a role in causing reflux in obese patients.
The study, which was published in the July 2nd issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that not only was reflux disease more prevalent in obese women, but that the association was stronger in women who were premenopausal, or who were using hormone therapy.
The researchers conducted a large population-based, case-control study that measured reflux symptoms along with BMI levels. When evaluating weight change, the study found that among persons who lost more that 3.5 BMI units, the risk of reflux symptoms had significantly decreased. Additionally, the association between BMI and reflux symptoms was stronger when estrogen was a factor.
Aside from GERD causing uncomfortable symptoms, chronic reflux may also lead to more serious conditions. Due to the abnormal amount of acid in the esophagus, scarring may result and sometimes lead to cancer. According to the Norwegian study, the incidence of cancer caused by reflux symptoms has increased during recent decades.
