Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a widespread disorder. It affects women with greater prevalence and its severity may depend on lifestyle, nutrition, but also body weight.
Extra pounds are not good for digestion. On the contrary, sometimes an excess of weight is at the origin of digestive difficulties, a sense of gastric heaviness after a meal and gastroesophageal reflux, a disorder that consists in the ascent of acid from the stomach to the esophagus.
The causes of reflux, it should be noted, can be multiple. Symptoms can also vary from individual to individual.
Another good reason to stay fit
Recent studies have shown that in addition to bad eating habits (eating quickly, skipping meals, binging at dinner, etc.) excess weight can also promote or aggravate the symptoms of reflux.
In practice, those who are overweight, or even obese, should pay attention to the symptoms of reflux, because if they arise they must be treated.
Be careful if a sensation of acid regurgitation appears in the esophagus, associated with localized burning in the chest and stomach.
It is especially at night or when you lie down that the discomfort is felt more. In severe cases, chest pain is so intense that it is confused with an attack of angina pectoris.
Irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and throat, vocal cord disorders, lowering of voice, laryngitis, hoarseness, chronic cough and asthma may also arise.
Sport and diet are essential
Regular physical activity, especially aerobic, helps burn excess calories and keep weight constant.
In addition to preventing the onset of the disorder, it is also useful for those who already suffer from it: keeping reflux and its symptoms under control, through the right drugs, is easier if you lose the extra pounds.
Without forgetting the importance of nutrition: all those foods or drinks that can increase gastric acid secretion (chocolate, carbonated drinks, coffee, tea, etc.) should be avoided.
And of course you have to keep an eye on the overall calories to be taken each day.
If these corrections are not enough
When, despite all the attention to diet and exercise, reflux is felt, following the prescriptions of your doctor you can also associate the correct guidelines with pharmacological treatment.
For this purpose, drugs that reduce gastric acid secretion are available, such as proton pump inhibitors, which today can also be found in over-the-counter formulations, that is, that do not require a prescription.
These drugs, going to bind specifically to the structures of the stomach responsible for the production of acid, inhibit their activity and this contributes to the maintenance of adequate gastric pH.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
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