A recent study in the journal Neurology has a possible link between the long term use of medicines such as omeprazole (Prilosec is an acid reducer) and dementia. There were over 5,000 people in the study, and more of those taking acid reducers who were followed over time were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Sounds pretty scary, right?
I have had multiple messages from patients who are now terrified that they have been using an acid reducer for decades and are concerned that they are doomed to losing memory.
This is a classic case of a reasonable research project which creates a stir in the media because so many people take acid reducing medication. I have yet to read the article itself, but a few things pop into my mind immediately that make me want to think things through before changing recommendations to so many patients. At this point, no medical organizations have come out to recommend stopping such useful medicines, and here’s why: things are not so simple.
Firstly, we may see things that correlate with an outcome but don’t actually cause the outcome. You can imagine that sometimes things happen at the same time and there’s no connection between the two events. If there are more sunspots seen by astronomers while more people are having migraines, it does not necessarily mean that sunspots cause migraines.
In the same way, people who take more acid reducer medicines may have other reasons to develop dementia that have nothing to do with the need to lower stomach acid.
Next, it takes enormous research studies over many years to figure out a complex problem such as memory loss. Memory is affected by many factors including age, nutrition, heredity, use of alcohol, level of fitness and degree of mental stimulation. There’s no way to know how much memory loss is due to one factor alone, such as use of a particular drug. We can imagine that people who need acid reducers are more likely to have other risk factors such as heavier use of alcohol, pain relievers and high stress situations.
As you consider whether to use a medicine, keep in mind the risk of NOT taking it, such as developing ulcers and esophagitis. This may be a much bigger immediate harm than the potential for side effects which have yet to be proven. In other words, maintain healthy skepticism! Also, eat well and keep your weight in check so you may not need the acid reducer in the first place! (Karate is still considered safe and effective by the FDA).
Ossu!
Sensei Steve