There’s not much worse than that acid burn you get up your throat after a big meal or when you lay down to sleep at night, right?
You know — the one that can hurt so bad that you think you’re having a heart attack, as it creeps up your neck to leave a sour, bitter taste in your mouth.
Unfortunately as bad as that acid reflux is, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis, there’s something worse…
Getting dementia from the very medications you use to feel better…
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Proton pump inhibitors strike again
Yup, you read that right.
Taking acid reflux medications might calm down your stomach, but destroy your memory in the process.
And it’s not the first time these drugs, called proton pump inhibitors (a class of drugs that includes common names like Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec and Protonix), have been shown to present a real and present danger to your health.
Past studies have shown that acid reflux meds can:
And they can even lead to dangerous vitamin and nutrient deficiencies, open your body up to pneumonia and other infections, leave you at risk for bone fractures and more.
Now, those Minnesota researchers say that those proton pump inhibitors are also a risky proposition for your brain, especially when you take them for years at a time.
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Compounding the danger as the years pass
Their study found that people who take proton pump inhibitors for four-and-a-half years or more are at a substantially higher risk of dementia compared to people who don’t take these medications at all.
And their study proved just how much higher that risk is.
The team spent five-and-a-half years following over 5,700 people, age 45 and older, who did not have dementia at the start of the study. Some participants took the drugs, and some didn’t.
They then adjusted for factors such as age, sex and race, as well as health-related factors like high blood pressure and diabetes.
And what it came down to was this…
The researchers determined that people who had been taking acid reflux drugs for more than 4.4 years had a whopping 33% higher risk of developing dementia than people who never took the drugs.
This means that popping that little pill that helps keep away the acid burn could be one of the worst things you can do for your brain.
Soothing acid reflux naturally
Luckily, there are natural ways to calm acid reflux that won’t put your brain at risk.
These include a simple two-step plan that involves eating only two meals per day (and only early in the day) and drinking only water between meals.
Eating more probiotic-rich foods to improve your gut health can also do wonders, as can following an alkaline diet.
You can also try vitamin U, often called the “superhero of stomach ailments” for its ability to ease a variety of digestive issues from ulcers to reflux.
Finally, be sure to check out these five ways to douse GERD that are simple, effective and safe, without the need for a prescription—and even have brain-boosting benefits as well.
Sources:
Long-term use of certain acid reflux drugs linked to higher risk of dementia – ScienceDaily