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In a small number of studies, investigators have observed that some patients gain weight after eradication of Helicobacter pylori. Limited data also show a negative association between H. pylori infection rates and body-mass index (BMI).
To evaluate this possible relationship further, researchers conducted an analysis of ecological data from studies of H. pylori prevalence with random samples >100 and from countries with annual GDP >US$25,000. Prevalence rates of overweight (BMI ≥25) and obesity (BMI ≥30) of study countries were collected from the World Health Organization and other data sources.
The analysis included 49 studies from 10 European countries, Japan, Australia, and the U.S. The mean prevalence of H. pylori infection was 41.9% ove…