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 additional BMI of 3.5 kg/m2 paves way to a 2.7 times more chances of having GERD. In contrast, a decrease of 3.5 kg/m2 of BMI cut your chances of having GERD by 40%.
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.
Obesity and being overweight increases your chances of having acidic disorders of the esophagus. 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 also noted in one study that there is a clear link between body mass index and reflux symptoms in both men and women. 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.
It is even more dangerous to those females who have a BMI higher than 35 who have used estrogen-only hormone substitutes. They are 33 times more at risk of suffering from GERD as oppose to those women who have average weight and are not using hormone replacements.
This study shows a clear link between GERD and with both being overweight, and estrogen use in women. It is known that obese women have an increased production of estrogen-like substances in their fatty tissue, which may explain why weight loss helps reduce the risk of gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Thus, this gives us one more motive to beat the bulge insistently.
Excess “baggage” puts more pressure on your tummy, which may inhibit the lower esophageal sphincter from opening and closing correctly.
If you are fat, weight loss of even 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 lessen the strain on their tummy.
Filed under gastro-esophageal reflux by on Aug 1st, 2011. 1 Comment. 
My son, just turned 1, bites his left thumb so hard he has broken through the nail. He has quite bad glue ear and severe gastro oesophageal reflux. He also pulls his hair so hard it makes him cry. We have had him developmentally assessed and they said he is doing fine. I’m still worried. He also does these other things too:
Callum hates being cuddled. He pushes anybody away most of the time.
He hates us touching his hands. He will not hold your hand.He will not let you touch his nose and sometimes he is sensitive about his ears
Callum hates baths. He won’t get in the bath and play, he cries as soon as he is lifted into the bath and pyhsically shakes when you try to make him sit down.
He also shakes violently at times when you put water near his face or head. He screams and screams during the whole bath
Callum often cries for no apparent reason.He gets very distressed by loud, high pitched sounds such as a christmas cracker, even if it is in the next room.
He has a few mild developmental delays. For example, he did not roll over until around 7 months. He first sat unaided at 10.5 months and crawled at 11 months.
He does not yet know his own name and cannot say any words yet. He does however make some verbal sounds, this started at around 10.5 months. He did not verbalise at all before that.
Up until just before his 1st birthday, he could only tollerate completely pureed foods such as a 4-6 month old baby would eat. He has progressed well onto finger foods but still gags and reches at times
He has thrown what can only be described at tantrums from a very young age.
He gets very angry for no apparent reason and hits and kicks out.
He gets very upset if the sunlight is too bright and particularly if there is a breeze.
He gasps for breath if there is wind on his face, much like you would expect if you put your head out if the window of a fast moving car.
Callum sleeps between 18 and 21 hours per day. Usually more towards 21 hours.He cannot go from sleeping to waking without severe distress.
He screams like he is in complete agony whenever he wakes up. He also wakes up frequently during the night for no apparent reason, in floods of tears.
I just don’t know what’s wrong with him. These seem like sensory issues but the stupid paed we saw said there’s nothing wrong with him and these behaviours are normal.
Filed under gastro-esophageal reflux by on Dec 9th, 2010. 2 Comments.
My Daughter is on some medication called Ranitidine for GORD (Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease)
I get her medication in bulk the same as her Special formula milk. we got the prescription in the end of april from a boots pharmacy.
I took out the new bottle of Ranitidie the other day and checked the date that i was given it witch was the 28th april 2010 BUT on looking at the sell by date this had already ran out on the 3rd of January this year 4 month earlyer
what would you do in regards to complaining? this medication can be very dangerous to my daughter
Filed under gastro-esophageal reflux by on Dec 8th, 2010. 2 Comments.
My son is 9 months old in a couple of days. He was 6 weeks prem. He has gastro oesophageal reflux disease which is quite severe but eats orally fine.
He can roll over and has been able to for about 6 weeks or so. He has just learned to sit up unaided for short periods at a time. He cannot yet crawl. I am not worried about this side of his development however. The problem is I am a little worried as he does not ‘babble’. He can say agoo and has been able to from a young age but he can’t say ma da la or any of these other sounds. He is not vocal at all except for his obvious screaming episodes.
Filed under gastro-esophageal reflux by on Dec 2nd, 2010. 4 Comments.
For about a week now i’ve been feeling nauseous ONLY in public. Other wise i feel fine at home. I’ve had a history of GERD (gastro esophageal reflux disease) and i went to the doctors a couple days ago. The doctor gave me some medication for gerd, but he wasn’t so sure of what i had. He then recommended me to a gastrologist but i dont meet him until 3 weeks later. Im currently in the 8th grade and i went home sick twice in a row now. At school i feel severe nausea and somtimes my hands start to shake, but when i get home i feel fine. I’m not sure what’s causing this… i think it could be anxiety because i really really REALLLY hate puking and im afraid of puking in public. I think this mainly started when i went to a high school orientation. I got extreamally nauseas and i practically could feel something in my throat so i had to run to the bathroom. In the bathroom i burped a couple times but i still felt bad. Eventually the orientation ended and i felt fine. After this experience I’ve been feeling nauseous every time i go into the pubic. Can some body please tell me whats going on D:! is it anxiety? a phobia? or somethings wrong with my stomach. i really need to get back to school as soon as possible so i won’t fall behind >.<!
Filed under gastro-esophageal reflux by on Nov 26th, 2010. 1 Comment.
For the last three years, I have been experiencing what I call "miniature faints or blackouts." At first I get dizzy then I feel as if I am going into a deep sleep while my eyes roll back…. I never thought that it was a bad thing, until last week when it started to occur more often. Is this a medical condition or disease? Here is some of my medical background.
I have Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease
Heartburn after foods with high sugar (frequent)
Never had any surgery of any kind
I often experience these episodes when going from sitting to standing.
Sorry about these edits -
Most of my episodes occur in the morning before I’ve had breakfast.
Filed under gastro-esophageal reflux by on Nov 23rd, 2010. 3 Comments.
So starting tuesday of last week I began having really bad chest pain when swallowing food and water. I thought it would just go away so I ignored it. But yesterday, I came home (I go to college away from home) and my mom took me to the emergency room. They monitored my heart and x-rayed my lungs and they said all that was fine and that is was just GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) so they prescribed me a proton pump inhibitor to reduce the production of my stomach acid, but….. I STILL CANT EAT ANYTHING! I literally haven’t eaten anything since last tuesday and I’m sooo hungry but it hurts TOO much to swallow anything even water. I just don’t think this is from GERD… I’ve been looking online all day and nowhere does it say that GERD causes this chest pain when swallowing…. so I think I may have an ulcer in my esophagus caused from this acid reflux… but I don’t know. the thing is I have to go back to school this week… I have exams and uhhh I just don’t know how I can because I’m so hungry and I feel like I’m going to die of starvation or something! I just need some advice…please!
Thanks in advance 
Filed under gastro-esophageal reflux by on Nov 17th, 2010. 1 Comment.
Im about to run to the hospital, but we were in the hospital 4 days ago because my daughter had been refluxing after i fed her so i brought her in and they said she had Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease, well i had just fed her about 10 minutes ago and she stopped breathing, im in a nervous wreck, the ambulance had came and got her. Im with her twin sister right now with my boyfriend on the way to the hospital, typung as fast as i can via blackberry. But WHAT DO I EXPECT? They watched her till yesterday and gave us the OK to go home. Would she be sent to the NICU or PICU? Shes only a few weeks old! HELPP!
Filed under gastro-esophageal reflux by on Nov 14th, 2010. 3 Comments.
You know I just finished watching Michael Moore’s movie "Sicko" and after wiping the tears that came to my eyes in realizing how much better it would be to be a Canadian or a Britt. I just can’t stand how America is more concerned about keeping gays from being married instead of working on getting a Universal Healthcare Insurance to cover all of us unfortunate Americans. Im broken to pieces because I can’t take my own wife or son to the hospital because I didn’t qualify for medical or medicare whatever you call it because my unemployment checks are more than what Im allowed to have, ten dollars more. My son is 2 and my wife is about 29, my wife suffers from hyper thyroid and I have very bad case of Gerd (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease). What has this great country become!?, I’m almost wishful that I could have been born in another country like the UK, France, Cuba or Canada, so that my family wouldn’t have to suffer the many tears we had to go through before receiving a long awaited food stamps and cash-aide which was ripped from us after a month because of the overage. We as a country need to change our health-care this is more important than any proposition and any new president that comes to power! we need a revolution!, what do you guys think? how do you feel about all that Ive said?
Some of you guys are kinda missing the point, this question isnt directed towards prop.8 but more towards the prioties that our voters and country are concerned about.
And to be honest Iam a Christian and I believe in bible and what it teaches but honestly!, obama and Mccain can go jump in a lake! for all I care, I just want to do whats right and I expect my country to do the same for me.
And to that babbling idiot who’s complaining about being responsible for me, don’t worry Im sure you don’t contribute a whole lot to society anyway, your probably some minimum wage worker who can’t afford to pay taxes, rate this guy down, for being so disrespectful
Filed under gastro-esophageal reflux by on Nov 11th, 2010. 15 Comments.
I have a 17 month old who still takes a bottle at night time. He has GERD Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease, and The Dr. wants him to eat 4 times a day, with 4 hours between each meal, and nothing to eat or drink in between except a little water, I have to take his bottle away tonight and I don’t know how I am gonna get him to sleep. Please Help
Filed under gastro-esophageal reflux by on Oct 29th, 2010. 32 Comments.
