Smoking and excess weight increases the incidence of heartburn

Smoking and excess weight increases the incidence of heartburn

Norwegian study revealed that overweight and smoking may increase the risk of heartburn or GERD

The study pointed out that other factors associated with an increased risk of the disease include age, as this condition affects more women than men

He said the principal investigator in the study, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, Dr. Aevind Ness - Jensen, "The heartburn or gastric reflux acid is very common as the 30% of people in the West are complaining symptoms, at least on a weekly basis and this we want to learn more about the causes "

Participants Researchers analyzed data about 30 thousand people in the province of Nord-Trondelag in Norway, and conducted interviews with those between 1995 to 1997 and then again between 2006-2009. It was not among the participants in the study heartburn symptoms in the first interview, but it was 510 of them suffer from severe symptoms in the second interview versus 14406 people did not suffer them at all

The scientists found a steady increase in the risk of heartburn with a greater excess weight based on body mass index, a ratio of weight to height

And increased risk of heartburn, during the study, which lasted 12 years, 30% with each increase of one point in body mass index. The people who smoke cigarettes or quit them were more susceptible to heartburn by between 29 and 37% compared with non-smokers

Doubled incidence of heartburn to the weakness in people who quit smoking, but the body mass index have risen after more than 3.5 points

The study also indicated that men were less susceptible to heartburn by 20% of women

For her part, Head of the digestive and liver system diseases in the Health Medical Metro Center in the US state of Ohio, which was not involved in the research, Rooney Fez, the study revealed two new on the incidence of heartburn, pointing out that "proved in the previous literature that men and women have a ratio the same risk in the incidence of heartburn, and therefore this result is interesting to a large extent"

Fez and added that while previous studies have linked between heartburn and smoking, "but this study is among the first in documenting the reality of the role of smoking in causing symptoms associated with heartburn"