Connection between Heartburn
and Weight Gain
If
you suffer form heartburn frequently, you would be
interested in knowing the connection between heart
burn and weight gain. Heartburn is one of the
symptoms of acid reflux. Acid reflux is a medical
condition in which the gastric or stomach acids
are thrown up in the esophagus and the esophageal
lining gets damaged in the process. Acid reflux
has several symptoms like heartburn,
regurgitation, chest pain, dysphagia, painful
swallowing, chest pain, asthma, excessive
coughing, hoarseness, belching, bloating and
dental erosion. GERD or gastroesophageal acid
reflux disease is the acid reflux that is
experienced by people on regular basis.
Heartburn
is a painful burning sensation in the throat or
chest area and it is generally felt after having a
meal. It is one of the symptoms of acid reflux.
Acid reflux is caused due to manifold factors like
genetics, dietary intake, lifestyle, excessive
fatty foods, alcohol, caffeine, smoking, Candida
infections, delays in stomach emptying, obesity
and pregnancy. As obesity is one of the causative
factors of acid reflux, there is a definite link
between heart burn and weight gain.
Link
between Heartburn and Weight
Gain
Studies
have shown that women who gained few extra pounds
were susceptible to experiencing frequent
heartburns. Even a moderate weight gain doubled
the risks of getting acid reflux and heartburn.
Decreasing weight brought down the risk by about
forty percent. Patients who lost weight about
twenty five pounds discontinued the medication for
heartburn.
Heartburn that is experienced
regularly is the result of the gastric acid being
thrown up in the esophagus. A burning pain is
created in chest or the person may feel a bitter
taste in the mouth or throat.Boston University
Medical
Center
doctor says that the patients can easily
discontinue the heartburn medicines when weight
decreases. Even a slight weight decrease makes a
great difference in relieving the symptom of
heartburn in acid reflux.
Research
studies in the US have
proved that there is a strong link between
heartburn and weight gain. The obese and
overweight persons are more prone to frequent
heartburns. The odds of
experiencing heartburns are doubled in the case of
obese persons. The stomach pressure increases with
BMI or body mass index increase and this leads to
acid reflux. The excess fat that is deposited in
the abdominal area increases the stomach pressure.
The increased stomach pressure thrusts the
sphincter muscle in between the esophagus and
stomach to open. The stomach pressure can be
increased due to overeating and pregnancy.
Treating
Heartburn
You can take the conventional
medicines to treat heartburn, but these are going
to offer you only temporary relief and the
underlying cause remains untreated. The
conventional medicines could be antacids, proton
pump inhibitors, acid suppressants and prokinetic
agents. If these medications are taken on a long
term basis, they might have harmful side effects.
The best way to tackle the problem of acid reflux
and heartburn is to follow the holistic approach
for treating. The holistic approach is safe and
effective and makes use of alternative treatments
like naturopathy, homeopathy, lifestyle changes,
diet changes and herbal remedies. The root cause
is treated successfully.
