Lose Weight, Control Heartburn

Beating heartburn may rely on how well you can manage your weight.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that extra weight may lead to frequent heartburn. In fact, even a moderate weight gain could double your chances of the condition, but you can slash your risk by 40 percent by dropping 10 to 25 pounds.

According to the study, for a 5-foot, 2-inch woman weighing:

123 to 136 pounds - which is in the "normal" range - the heartburn chances were 38-percent greater than a woman weighing 110 to 122;
137 to 192, the risk more than doubled;
192, the risk nearly tripled.

"I see this as one more good reason to try to lose weight if you've put on a few pounds," says Dr. Brian C. Jacobson, a researcher at Boston University Medical Center who led the study.

Jacobson adds that patients who lose weight, even as little as 10 pounds, and see their heartburn go away get off their medicines prescribed by doctors for the afflictions.

The bitter taste of GERD

Heartburn is technically "gastroesophageal reflux disease," or GERD or even "acid reflux" for short. Persistent heartburn is the result of stomach acid backing up into the esophagus. It creates a burning pain in the chest or a bitter taste in the throat or mouth, especially at night.

Treatment for frequent heartburn includes antacids, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, diet changes and eating smaller meals. Serious but uncommon complications include a narrowing of the esophagus and changes to its lining, which can be precancerous.

To conduct their project, Jacobson's team used data from a long-running study involving more than 10,500 nurses. About 1 in 5 of them suffered heartburn at least once a week, and 60 percent said their symptoms were moderate to severe.Te am members traced the women's health and weights back to 1976 when the nurses' study began and the participants were 30 to 55. The information even included the nurses recalling their weights when they were 18.

Using a "body mass index" for each nurse, the team established the link between weight and frequent heartburn. A "body mass index," or BMI for short, is the ratio of height to weight, and is used by nutritionists, dietitians and doctors as one tool to decide whether people's weights or normal or whether they're overweight or obese.