Can my body type increase my risk of experiencing heartburn?

People with an "apple-shaped" body can experience more severe heartburn, says James Rosser Jr., MD and surgery specialist. Learn why carrying more weight around your middle can contribute to symptoms.

Transcript

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Another thing that's overlooked that people need to become aware of is that your body type

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or how you are shaped can have an interesting effect on your heartburn. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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We refer to that as the apple body, where you have more thickness around the middle,

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versus a pear shape where the lower part of your body, that is, is larger than your waist.

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When you have an apple body shape and you have more weight around your middle,

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guess what that does? It actually can cause an increased pressure on your stomach. And as you increase the pressure on your stomach,

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you overcome the natural protective mechanism of that muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter.

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And you can have more heartburn. And then so far as we're concerned, if you gain weight in the middle,

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it can cause a lot of increase in heartburn later. Now in the same token, if you lose weight

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from your middle, all of a sudden, your heartburn can miraculously go away. And you don't have to lose, like I did, 160, 165 pounds.

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Just 10 to 15 pounds, it lost in the center of your body, can make a difference. So yes, the bad news is that the apple shape

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can cause more heartburn. But the good news is if you can just take about 10 to 15 pounds

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from around your waist, you can take a big step in winning your war against heartburn.