Weight Loss Helps GERD

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Original article:

http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/70/80998.htm

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Weight Loss Helps GERD

The Heavier You Are, the Higher Your Reflux Risk

By DeNoon

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

on Wednesday, July 02, 2003

July 2, 2003 -- The heavier you are, the more likely it is you'll have recurrent

heartburn or regurgitation. The glad tidings: Weight loss reduces these painful

symptoms.

People in industrialized nations are getting fatter and fatter. And GERD --

gastroesophageal reflux disease -- is becoming more and more common. It's not

just a coincidence, report Magnus Nilsson, MD, of Sweden's Karolinska Institute,

and colleagues in the July 2 issue of The Journal of the American Medical

Association.

After combing through huge public health surveys conducted in Sweden, the

researchers found that as body mass increases, so does the risk of GERD. It's a

particularly strong link for women.

Moreover, hormone replacement therapy slightly increases GERD risk for

normal-weight postmenopausal women. But as women become heavier, hormone therapy

is linked to even more GERD symptoms. Estrogen-only hormone therapy had a more

pronounced effect than combined hormone therapy.

" This study demonstrates a strong and dose-dependent association between

increasing body mass and symptomatic reflux in women and a moderate association

among men, " Nilsson and colleagues conclude. " The study also reveals that weight

loss is associated with reduced risk of reflux symptoms. "

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SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, July 2, 2003.

© 2003 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.

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