In light of a new study published this week, older people may be more willing to live with a little bit of heartburn. Today’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assoctiation (JAMA) reports that seniors who chronically take antacids may be more susceptible to potentially dangerous hip fractures. The key finding: Anti-heartburn medication, known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), may work to reduce the body’s absorption of calcium, which in turn can lead to a loss of bone density. Popular PPIs include Prevacid, Nexium, Aciphex, and Protonix.
In the JAMA report, researchers led by the University of Pennsylvania’s Dr. Yu-Xiao Yang noted, “We found a significantly increased risk of hip fracture associated with long-term PPI therapy, particularly among long-term users of high-dose PPI…. Calcium malabsorption secondary to acid suppressive therapy may potentially explain the positive association. Calcium solubility has been believed to be important for its absorption. An acidic environment in the gastrointestinal tract facilitates the release of ionized calcium from insoluble calcium salts.†The team also said that “the increase in fracture risk surged from a modest level with regular-dose PPI therapy to a much higher magnitude with high-dose PPI therapy.â€
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