An increasing body of evidence indicates that being overweight and obesity favours the development of numerous disorders such as joint problems, hypertension and heart disease, and increases the risk for cancer and post operative morbidity. In addition, obesity and excess weight is indicated to promote gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD).
In contrast to those who have a normal weight, those who are overweight who have a BMI of 25 to 30 kg/m2 have 50{8b86a6a9f436c715708b91e73aa06434ecc029acfa872b8b5bba67703ad52bfb} more chances of having GERD, and those who are obese with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 and above are twice more probable to have GERD.
Furthermore, the chances of getting GERD seemed to rise in a dose-response relationship with the ballooning of weight. An additional BMI of 3.5 kg/m2 paves way to a 2.7 times more chances of having GERD. On the other hand, a loss of 3.5 body mass index units is linked to a reduction of risk by about forty percent.
The mechanisms underlying the link between being overweight and gastro-esophageal reflux disease have not been established. However, it was noted that being overweight has been associated with increased intra-abdominal pressure, impaired gastric emptying, decreased lower esophageal sphincter pressure, and increased frequency of transient sphincter relaxation, all of which can lead to increased esophageal acid exposure.
Being overweight and obesity are risk factors for acid-related esophageal diseases. It was suggested that future studies should examine the mechanism by which being overweight and obesity cause these complications, as well as the potential effects of weight loss. But for now, it makes sense to advise all fat people who have disorders related to GERD that losing weight may make them better.
It was observed in a research as well that there is an obvious connection between BMI and GERD in both sexes. Compared with persons with a body mass index below 25, the likelihood of developing gastro-esophageal reflux disease is 3.3 times greater for severely obese men with a body mass index over 35. Severely obese women are 6.3 times more likely to develop GERD than women with normal weight.
The risk is worst in women with a body mass index over 35 who had taken estrogen-only hormone replacements. They are 33 times more at risk of suffering from GERD as oppose to those women who have average weight and are not using hormone replacements.
This study shows a clear link between GERD and with both being overweight, and estrogen use in women. It is believed that overweight females generate more substances similar to estrogen in their fatty tissue, which may actually be the reason why losing weight decreases the likelihood of having GERD. Thus, this gives us one more motive to beat the bulge insistently.
Excess “baggage” puts more force on your tummy, which may inhibit the lower esophageal sphincter from opening and closing normally.
If you are fat, weight loss of just 10 to 15 pounds can prevent gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Healthcare providers suggest as well that those who suffer from GERD should avoid wearing tight-fitting clothes to reduce the strain on their tummy.