Do you suffer from acid reflux?
Have you ever used medications such as Omeprazole (Prilosec), Esomeprazole (Nexium), Lansoprazole (Prevacid), Rabeprazole (AcipHex), Pantoprazole (Protonix), Dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), Zegerid (omeprazole with sodium bicarbonate)?
These medications fall under a category called PPI (protein pump inhibitors).
Proton pump inhibitors, or PPI’s block the gastric acid secretion in your stomach. Doctors commonly prescribe PPI’s for symptoms of acid reflux, heartburn, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and stomach ulcers. Unfortunately, many of these people with reflux actually have low stomach acid to begin with.
Long term use of PPI medications can cause maldigestion of food, lead to nutrient deficiencies, cause fatigue and leave you more prone to other health issues.
For instance, vitamin B12 absorption involves peptic enzymes to cleave dietary B12 from dietary proteins. This is performed primarily by pepsin, which requires gastric acid to activate it from its pepsinogen precursor. Without gastric acid, vitamin B12 would not be cleaved from dietary protein and would not be able to bind to R-proteins, which in turn protect vitamin B12 from pancreatic digestion.
When you take PPI medication, it suppresses the production of acid in your stomach. This means you don’t digest you foods efficiently and they ‘ ferment’ in your bowels. They also lower the production of acid in your intestines, letting opportunistic pathogens (bacteria) overgrow, including Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and E. coli. Should this continue long term it can lead to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), leaky gut & Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Here are some important facts about long term or high dose use of PPI medications:
👉🏻High doses and long-term use (1 year or longer) may increase the risk of osteoporosis related fractures of the hip, wrist, or spine. Prolonged use also reduces absorption of vitamin B12.
👉🏻Long-term use of PPIs has also been associated with low levels of magnesium.
👉🏻Analysis of patients taking PPIs for long periods of time showed an increased risk of heart attacks.
👉🏻PPI’s have also been shown to harm the kidneys and impair cognitive function.
👉🏻Long term use has been linked to an increase in a risk of dementia.
👉🏻50% of the population have the bacteria H. pylori living in their stomachs, and some may experience acid reflux or burning in the stomach and nausea. Lowering the stomach acid by taking PPI’s lets the bacteria thrive and can lead to worsening of symptoms.
Please get in touch for more information mjanewellness@gmail.com
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