How Changes in Body

Weight Affect GERD

By Allison Ryan
Medically Reviewed by Kareem Sassi, MD
Last Updated: 6/22/2018

Maintaining a proper body weight can reduce symptoms of GERD.

Andriy Popov/Alamy

It's common knowledge that certain foods can trigger symptoms of

gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) — a condition characterized by frequent
episodes of acid reflux, also known as heartburn.

But scientists and doctors have shown in a number of different studies that excess
body weight — even being just slightly overweight — can also trigger the onset of
GERD and influence its severity.

Similarly, there’s evidence that losing excess body weight can improve or even
resolve symptoms of GERD.

It’s unclear exactly why extra body weight has an effect on GERD, but one likely
explanation is that the extra weight puts pressure on your abdomen. This increases
the risk that your lower esophageal sphincter (LES) — the ring of muscle between
your esophagus and stomach — will relax when it shouldn’t.
Another possible explanation is that people with a higher body weight may eat more
fat, which is a well-known GERD trigger.

If you have GERD and you’re overweight or obese, it may be worthwhile to talk to
your doctor about how losing weight could improve your symptoms.

Here are some key takeaways from studies showing that your body weight plays a
role in GERD, and that losing weight can have a positive impact on the condition.

Small Weight Gain Linked to GERD

An important study on GERD and body weight was published in The New England
Journal of Medicine (NEJM). (1)

In this study, researchers sought to find out whether relatively small changes in
body weight — even within the bounds of normal weight — can affect the severity of
acid reflux and related symptoms in women.

The study found a clear correlation between a woman’s body mass index (BMI) and
the presence of GERD symptoms. The researchers found that women who were
overweight — defined by a body mass index of 25 to 30 — were more than twice as
likely to develop acid reflux as those of normal weight.

Women who were obese — with a BMI greater than 30 — had nearly triple the risk
of GERD symptoms, like heartburn, acid regurgitation, chest pain, and difficulty
swallowing.

Perhaps most surprising, though, was that small differences in body weight in
women of normal weight — with a BMI of 21 to 25 — also affected the likelihood of
developing GERD.

Even in women who started out with a normal body weight, an increase in BMI of
more than 3.5 was associated with nearly triple the risk of experiencing frequent
GERD symptoms.

Overall, out of 10,545 women in the study, 22 percent reported having GERD
symptoms at least once a week. Among those with symptoms, 55 percent
experienced both heartburn and acid regurgitation.

The scientists in this study stressed that people with GERD whose body weight is
ideal shouldn’t try to lose weight. But if you’ve gained weight and noticed an
increase in your symptoms, you may be able to reverse this situation by losing the
weight again.

Weight Loss Programs for GERD

There’s strong evidence that if you’re obese, participating in a structured weight loss
program can help ease symptoms of GERD.
In a study published in March 2013 in the journal Obesity, 332 obese adults took
part in a program that included dietary changes, increased physical activity, and
behavioral strategies. (2) After 6 months, 97 percent had lost weight, with an
average loss of 13 kilograms (29 pounds).

Over the same period, the incidence of GERD in the group dropped from 37 percent
to 15 percent, with 81 percent of participants seeing a drop in their GERD symptom
scores. Greater weight loss was associated with a larger reduction in GERD
symptoms, although women in the study saw significant improvements with only 5
to 10 percent of their body weight lost.

In another study, published in October 2017 in The American Journal of

Gastroenterology, researchers tested out a weight loss program called The Reflux
Improvement and Monitoring (TRIM) Program, which provided participants with
“personalized, multidisciplinary” health education and monitoring for a period of six
months. (3)

As a result, participants — a group of 52 obese people — experienced significantly

greater weight loss 3, 6, and 12 months after starting the program as compared
with a similar group that didn’t enroll in the program.

Among TRIM participants, scores indicating GERD symptom severity dropped

significantly after three months, and stayed significantly down after six months. At
the same time, scores indicating GERD-related quality of life also improved, but not
to a statistically significant degree — meaning that this improvement could have
been due to chance.

Nevertheless, this small study showed that a multidisciplinary weight loss program
aimed at people with GERD could result in weight loss, improved symptoms, and
overall satisfaction with the program.

Should You Try to Lose Weight?

There are a number of factors that may determine whether it’s a good idea for you
to try to lose weight to help manage your GERD.

One, as the researchers in the NEJM study noted, is whether you’ve gained weight in
the recent past, and whether your GERD symptoms got worse after this happened.

Another is whether you’re experiencing other negative health effects from being
overweight or obese — such as high blood pressure or impaired glucose tolerance —
that make losing weight an urgent priority.

Always talk to your doctor before starting on any weight loss program to make sure
that it’s safe, given your current state of health.

Losing weight isn’t easy. But if it’s right for you, it may turn out to do more for your
GERD than you imagined was possible.