Abdominal obesity and leisure-time sedentary behavior in relation to gastroesophageal reflux disease risk: a prospective cohort study from the UK Biobank.

Authors

Lei Sun, Shengxuan Zhang, Yichen Zhou, Yue Lv, Yuanchao Zheng, Lu Shao, Weiming Liang, Xinlai Jin, Haoyu Zhao, Chenchen Li, Wei Ye, Jingru Song

Published in

Scientific reports. Jul 04, 2026. Epub Jul 04, 2026.

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the associations of abdominal obesity and leisure-time sedentary behavior with the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and to explore their combined effects and potential interactions. A total of 405,531 participants without GERD at baseline were included from the UK Biobank. Abdominal obesity was defined using sex-specific waist circumference thresholds. Self-reported sedentary time was dichotomized based on a 4.5-hour-per-day threshold identified using restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models (Model 2) were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Joint exposure analyses and additive interaction measures were conducted. Over a median follow-up of 12.4 years, 26,089 new GERD cases were identified. In multivariable-adjusted models (Model 2), abdominal obesity was significantly associated with a higher risk of GERD (per 5 cm increase in waist circumference: HR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.05-1.06). Each additional hour of daily self-reported sedentary time was associated with a 4% higher risk of GERD (HR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.04-1.05). These associations remained consistent after further adjustment for potential mediators (Model 3). RCS analyses showed non-linear associations between both exposures and GERD risk. Participants with both abdominal obesity and sedentary time ≥ 4.5 h/day had the highest risk (HR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.36-1.48). Additive interaction analysis did not provide evidence of a synergistic effect between the two exposures. Subgroup analyses suggested that the association between abdominal obesity and GERD was stronger in women, individuals under 60 years, and those with normal BMI. Abdominal obesity and self-reported sedentary behavior were independently associated with increased GERD risk. Although their co-occurrence was associated with the highest risk, no clear evidence of a synergistic interaction was observed. Interventions targeting either factor may help reduce GERD risk.

PMID:
42401731
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 05 Jul 2026.

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