The association between obesity and gastrointestinal-related cancers, and the link between an overweight or obese body mass index and the severity of Crohn's disease were among the highlights of new research that was presented at the American College of Gastroenterology’s Annual Scientific meeting. Obesity has been associated with numerous health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis and can even hasten death by as much as 10 years. However, most people may not know that obesity can also lead to several gastrointestinal diseases. In 2008, the American College of Gastroenterology implemented the Obesity Initiative to provide new tools for physicians to use in the education of obese patients. The Initiative listed several digestive disorders that are linked to obesity, including GERD, acid indigestion, Barrett’s esophagus, pancreatic cancer, gallstones and gallbladder cancer, precancerous colon polyps and colon cancer and cirrhosis and liver cancer. By offering patients customized diet plans to be used in combination with prescription hCG, Diet Doc’s hCG diet is proven to help all Americans achieve fast weight loss goals, as well as long term weight maintenance.