Drugs used by millions of patients in UK to treat indigestion can increase the risk of osteoporosis, researchers warn. Their study shows long-term use is linked to weakened bones later in life. The drugs are called proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, are prescribed by doctors and sold over the counter. The research team in Canada found those using them regularly for 5 years had a 44% higher chance of a hip fracture. The NHS spends around £400m a year in England on PPIs such as lanasoprazole & omeprazole – sold over the counter as Zanprol – to treat indigestion, heartburn & peptic ulcers.
The researchers at Manitoba Uni in Canada studied over 60,000 adults aged over 50, including nearly 16,000 who had suffered a fractured hip, spine or wrist due to osteopororis. When they analysed prescription records, they found those with hip fractures were 62% more likely to have used PPIs for 5 years or more than those with healthy hips. For those on the drugs for 7 years the risk of fracture soared by more than 400%, according to the study published in the Canadian Medical Assoc’s Journal. Daily Mail 16.8.08.
Ed’s Comment: In my experience, most people taking antacids and indigestion drugs are taking the exact opposite of what they need: more acid. For techy reasons I won’t go into now, often the signal to stop producing acid in the stomach doesn’t get triggered and so we keep on producing more and more. The reason? Because we don’t produce enough to trigger the body to think there is enough in the stomach. I routinely test this and 9 times out of 10, it is indeed a under acid problem, not an over acid one. If you want to know which yours is, please ask me for a free test sheet that you can do simply at home using lemon juice or bicarbonate of soda. Simple when you know how!
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