Are Obesity and GERD Related?

Weight loss isn’t always a cosmetic issue. Obesity is related to a host of medical complications including risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Doctors have recently associated another unpleasant issue with obesity—gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.

GERD occurs when digestive stomach acids flow into the esophagus causing discomfort and pain. It can also lead to esophageal cancer and erosion of the tissues of the esophagus. When researching a link between obesity and GERD, researchers used body mass index, a standard way of measuring body fat.

How are GERD and obesity related? Theories exist, but doctors and researchers aren’t certain why obesity causes an increased risk of GERD. It may be that excess body fat compresses the stomach or that overweight patients are more likely to eat heartburn-triggering foods.

What researchers do know is that weight loss can relieve GERD. Talk to your doctor about safe medical weight loss options that can help relieve heartburn.