GED is common if you are overweight
A growing amount of data implies that excess weight facilitates the development of several health issues like joint diseases, high blood pressure and cardiac problems, and adds to your chances of having cancer and post operative morbidity. In addition, obesity and excess weight is indicated to promote gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Compared with people with normal weight, overweight individuals with a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 to 30 kg/m2 are fifty percent more likely to have GERD, and obese individuals with a body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2 are twice as likely to have the disease.
In addition, the risk for gastro-esophageal reflux disease appeared to increase in a dose-response relationship with increasing weight. An increase of 3.5 body mass index units leads to a 2.7 times increased risk of 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 system causing the relation of obesity with GERD is still unknown. But, it was observed that obesity has been linked to more intra-abdominal pressure, impaired gastric emptying, lesser lower esophageal sphincter pressure, and more incidence of transient sphincter relaxation, which can all advance to more 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. In the meantime, however, it is prudent to counsel all overweight patients who present with GERD-related diseases that weight loss may help improve symptoms.
It was observed in a research as well that there is an obvious connection between BMI and GERD in both sexes. As oppose to men with a BMI lower than 25, the risk factor for GERD is 3.3 times higher to men who have a BMI higher than 35. Extremely overweight women have 6.3 times more chances of suffering from gastro-esophageal reflux disease compared to those with average 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 likely to have gastro-esophageal reflux disease compared to that of normal-weight, non-hormone users.
This research presents an obvious link between gastro-esophageal reflux disease, obesity, and hormone treatment in females. 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. So, this provides another reason to attack overweight aggressively.
Excess “baggage” puts more pressure on your tummy, which might inhibit the lower esophageal sphincter from opening and closing normally.
If you are fat, weight loss of just ten to fifteen 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 decrease the strain on their tummy.
