A new study is showing evidence that as obesity increases around the world, the number of people suffering from acid reflux is also increasing.
Dr. Eivind Ness-Jensen, from the HUNT Research Center's Department of Public Health and General Practice at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Levanger, is leading a group of researchers who are finding that the prevalence of acid reflux (gastroesphageal reflux disease, or GERD) has increased by nearly 50% in the past 10 years. The research is showing that the increasing number of people who are obese is the "main attributable factor," Ness-Jensen said.
"It's purely mechanical in one way. Added weight increases the pressure between the stomach and esophagus," forcing stomach acid back up, Ness-Jensen said. "There's an increasing weight in the population. That's probably the most important factor."
More on the connection between obesity and acid reflux.
Significant points brought out in the research, which was data collected on nearly 30,000 participants from 1995 to 2009, included:
- GERD symptoms are associated with adenocarcinoma (cancer) of the lower esophagus, and this cancer is increasing.
- Both men and women of all ages experienced an increase in GERD symptoms
- The most severe symptoms were mostly among middle-aged people
- Those least likely to have GERD were women under 40, but women were more likely to develop the condition as they aged
- Severe symptoms were seen mostly in those aged 60 to 69
You can read an abstract of this study in the online journal GUT
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