(NaturalPath) According to a German study published in the medical journal JAMA Neurology, seniors who regularly took proton-pump inhibitors like Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid were 44 percent more likely to end up with dementia. Proton-pump inhibitors are used to decrease stomach acid and help with heartburn.
The study included more than 73,000 elderly individuals, tracking which drug they used and the incidence of dementia.
“Whether PPOs actually cause an increase in the risk of dementia is therefore an important question requiring further evaluation… This is a very important issue given the very high prevalence of pharmacological drugs’ long-term use in elderly populations that have a very high risk of dementia,” said Lewis Kuller of the University of Pittsburgh.
Representatives from the parent companies that sell Prilosec and Nexium said in statements that their products are safe.
For more information, read the full study.
http://fortune.com/2016/02/16/heartburn-drugs-dementia/
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.