Gastroesophageal reflux disease in women has noticeably increased for the past few years. It is interesting to study the effect of this disease, particularly in women, that although affects both men and women.
What is GERD or Gastroesophageal reflux disease?
Gastroesophageal reflux disease i.e. GERD is also known as Acid Reflux Disease. An individual affected with the disease exhibits symptoms like heartburn, or a burning sensation in the esophageal passage. These symptoms often take away the ease of living from the affected individual. So, when a person swallows food, the esophageal sphincter expands allows it food to pass to the stomach. But when this lower esophageal sphincter fails to relax in time, acid flows from the stomach into the esophagus. This can lead to a condition called gastroesophageal reflux or GERD. If such conditions become chronic for an individual, they can further lead to a serious condition of esophagus known as Achalasia.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD disease in women: Healthy lifestyle vs medication
Research published in the JAMA Internal Medicine Publication, following a healthy lifestyle emerged as a life-saving solution for GERD. The research was published based on a study conducted on nearly 43,000 middle-aged women. These women were kept under strict observation and were followed for 10 years to come to a concrete conclusion. It was observed that following five healthy lifestyle habits proved to be way better than a regular medication to ease symptoms. These habits include abstaining oneself from smoking, exercising at least 30 minutes a day, avoiding coffee. And also limiting soda beyond 2 cups a day, and eating a fruits& vegetables rich diet. Incorporation of these habits helped these women remove GERD symptoms by nearly 40% every week.
Thoughts from the author of the study:
Dr. Raaj S. Mehta, who is the lead author of the study conclusively said, “Each one of these factors may prevent the inappropriate relaxation of the sphincter muscle. Between the stomach and the esophagus, helping to keep acid from refluxing up and causing heartburn. For example, carrying extra weight around the waist can push on the stomach, forcing stomach acid up into the esophagus,” says Dr. Raaj S. Mehta. He is also a gastroenterology fellow at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
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