Continual burning of your esophagus is just like the continual burning of your skin; it causes cellular damage and substantially increases the risk of cancer. As you get heavier, the angle between the esophagus and the stomach (normally, the esophagus enters a side door) straightens out, and acid can easily shoot up into your esophagus. While you're losing weight (which will restore the normal angle), take a course of medications like over-the-counter Prilosec, Zantac, or Pepcid to help heal the injured tissue.
