Researchers have known for some time that Body Mass Index (BMI) is a predictor of gastroesophageal reflux disease (that's heartburn, to you and I), but now a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that heartburn can frequently strike those who go through even a modest increase in BMI. The study focused on a randomly selected group of women who had enrolled in the long-running Nurses Health Study and asked them to assess the frequency, severity, and duration of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Out of the 10,000 women studied, those who had gained only a few pounds doubled their chances of suffering heartburn.
"Even in women with a normal baseline BMI, an increase in BMI of more than 3.5, as compared with no weight changes, was associated with an increased risk of frequent symptoms of reflux," said the researchers. The study demonstrates that women who maintain a steady BMI - weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters - are unlikely to have to endure the ordeal of heartburn.
While there have been many studies that link obesity and heartburn, this study is the first to show how women of normal weight can significantly increase their chances of experiencing heartburn. "Body mass index is associated with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease in both normal-weight and overweight women," the researchers concluded. "Even moderate weight gain among persons of normal weight may cause or exacerbate symptoms of reflux."
But the study wasn't all bad news. Tried-and-true heartburn remedies include drugs, diet modifications and antacids, but now health professionals can inform their patients of the benefits of maintaining a healthy body weight. This is because the team says that the damage can be reversed, as a reduction in BMI would reduce the frequency of heartburn by around 40 percent.
Source: Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center
