| ■ Childhood Obesity Boosts Risk of GERD | 2010.07.09 |
| FRIDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- Obese older children are at increased risk for developing the painful digestive disease known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), researchers from Kaiser Permanente in California report. In fact, extremely obese children have up to a 40 percent higher risk of GERD, while those who are moderately obese have up to a 30 percent higher risk of developing it, compared with normal weight children, researchers say. "Although we know that childhood obesity, especially extreme obesity, comes with risks for serious health conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, our study adds yet another condition to the list, which is GERD," said study lead author Corinna Koebnick, a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Southern California's Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena. While the causes of the chronic digestive disease are not known, obesity appears to be one of them, she noted. "With the increasing epidemic of childhood obesity, GERD may become more and more of an issue," she added. |