Lose Weight for Heartburn Relief

If you’re overweight, you’re three times more likely than someone of a normal weight to suffer from heartburn. Although the exact reasons are still unknown, it’s thought that the extra fat around your stomach increases the pressure, which weakens the valve between your esophagus and your stomach and allows stomach acid to reflux into your esophagus while delaying the digestion of your food. This theory would explain why people who are pregnant also experience a higher incidence of heartburn.

A study of 10,000 women found that losing weight can reduce a woman’s risk of heartburn by up to 40%. By reducing your calories and increasing your physical activity to a minimum of 30 minutes a day, you can experience a healthier lifestyle, weight loss, and the reduction of your risk for heartburn.

In addition to losing weight, you can also follow these tips to reduce your symptoms:

• Avoid foods that are heartburn triggers, such as coffee, tomatoes, alcohol, spicy foods, fried foods, citrus, and chocolate. Once you’ve lost weight, you may be able to reintroduce some of those foods into your diet, but you’ll be better off avoiding them completely in the beginning.
• Instead of eating three large meals, try eating several smaller meals throughout the day. A smaller portion of food will reduce the pressure on your stomach and allow for more effective digestion.
• Don’t eat late at night, giving yourself 2 to 3 hours between your last meal and bedtime. This will allow your body time to digest your food, leaving less in your stomach to generate heartburn-triggering acids.