Weight Loss May Also Lose Heartburn

Note to anyone looking for yet another reason to take off a few pounds: losing weight may reduce the risk of heartburn. The AP reports on a study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and authored largely by a Boston University professor, that links weight gain to an increased likelihood of heartburn. The study, which used data from the long-running Nurses' Health Study, found that even a moderate gain in weight doubled the chances of heartburn and acid reflux. Shedding the pounds cut the risk by about 40 percent. Read more in the New England Journal of Medicine.