Hi, everyone. My name is Octavia Pickett-Blakely. I'm a gastroenterologist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and we're going to talk about five diseases of the gastrointestinal tract associated with obesity.
The first one is gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. In obesity, there is increased abdominal fat, which is associated with increased abdominal pressure, which, in addition to gastric acid, leads to relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, leading to reflux. The good news is that weight loss can improve reflux-related symptoms.
The second is gallstone disease. Obesity can lead to the development of cholesterol gallstones, which exposes patients to gallstone-related complications such as pancreatitis and cholecystitis.
The third is colon cancer. Although the mechanisms aren't entirely known, poor dietary patterns, less physical activity, and perhaps epigenetic phenomena are associated with the link between obesity and colon cancer.
The fourth is diverticulitis. Similar to colon cancer, the exact mechanisms are not clear, but poor dietary intake, reduced physical activity, and perhaps alterations in the gut microbiome are linked to the association between diverticular disease and obesity.
Fifth is metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). There's a direct association between increased body weight, MASLD, liver inflammation — metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) — liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Hopefully, understanding the association between obesity and gastrointestinal conditions will give you the information that you need to be proactive in helping your patients on their weight loss journey.
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/five-gi-disorders-can-be-caused-obesity-2025a10004ux
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