There can be many factors associated with your heartburn – trigger foods, health conditions; however, a factor you may not be considering could be one of the riskiest of them all. Is your weight causing your heartburn?
If you are overweight, your chances of suffering from heartburn are increased. This is thought to be because of the extra pressure put onto the stomach by the excess weight around the abdomen area. This causes hiatal hernia to develop, which causes acid to be pushed back into the throat instead of staying in the stomach.
Obesity is related to three esophageal disorders:
- Heartburn
- Barrett’s Esophagus: constant acid flowing into the throat can cause long term damage. Precancerous changes can occur to the esophagus, known as Barrett’s esophagus.
- Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: throat cancer
Losing weight and eating healthy are a great combination to attack your heartburn. A 2012 study showed participants take part in a weight loss program to see the effects of losing weight and heartburn. Women saw improvements in their heartburn symptoms when they lost 5% – 10% of weight, compared to men who saw improvements after losing 10% of their body weight.
The Nurse’s Health Study saw researchers analyze 10,000 women and found the symptoms of heartburn increase by a large amount when there was a weight gain of 10-20 pounds. However, at the same time, if a woman were to lose weight, it would decrease her risk of heartburn by 40%.
Losing weight can lead to less heartburn symptoms. This means there is less acid in the stomach, which may result in buying less over-the-counter or prescribed medication.
Heartburn used to be a common problem in the elderly; however, now younger Americans are suffering from this condition. It is believed to be an increase in acids in the American diet. Fast food is a popular choice for the younger generation due to its convenience and cheapness. The greasy, fatty food is a perfect recipe for heartburn.
If you are suffering from heartburn or similar symptoms, overweight or not, make an appointment today with Dr. Darido.