In this video Dr. David Perlmutter warns that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), common acid‑blocking medications, may have serious health consequences. He cites two large observational studies: a Stanford/PLOS One analysis of nearly 3 million medical records showing a 16% higher risk of myocardial infarction and a doubled risk of death from heart attack among PPI users; and a JAMA Neurology study of over 70,000 adults aged 75+ that found a 44% increased risk of developing dementia over 5.5 years. Perlmutter explains a plausible mechanism—PPIs raise gastrointestinal pH, altering the gut microbiome, which in turn can affect immunity and inflammation, potentially leading to cardiovascular events and neurodegeneration. He concludes with a cautionary message to consider the gut‑bacterial impact before using PPIs and to weigh risks versus benefits.
Chapters
Hello everyone, I'm Dr. David Perlmutter. You know, these acid-blocking drugs that we see advertised in magazines and on the evening news, really trying to convince us that we need to block stomach acid for whatever reason, are actually not without consequence. Turns out that these acid-blocking drugs have a significant effect on the gut bacteria And as such, are associated with increased risk for a variety of issues. Let's take a look. Now this first study comes from Stanford University. It's called Proton Pump Inhibitor Usage and the Risk of Myocardial Infarction in the General Population. This was published in the journal PLOS One, and this was actually a very, very large study. They looked at the medical records of close to 3 million individuals, and they looked at who took these drugs and what was their risk of having basically a heart attack, and what they found was risk for myocardial infarction was increased by 16%, and actually dying from a heart attack, the risk of that event was doubled in those individuals taking the proton pump inhibitors. That's important information. But what about the brain? Well, here's another study that was recently published, this one published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, their specialty neurology journal, in February of 2016. And this study looked at over 70,000 individuals aged 75 years or older, and at the beginning of the study, these were people who were not demented. They were Cognitively intact, and it followed these individuals for about 5.5 years. And what they found was really remarkable, and that is that the risk of developing dementia in people who regularly take these over-the-counter as well as prescription acid-blocking drugs called PPIs, the risk of dementia was increased by 44%. And again, That is a situation for which there is no treatment, and here we see a drug that is associated with a significant risk for that event. The conclusion, the authors stated, thus, the avoidance of PPI medication may contribute to the prevention of dementia. That's a very powerful statement indeed. So what we learned today is that there are some significant risk factors associated with taking these very common over-the-counter as well as prescription acid-blocking drugs that are called proton pump inhibitors. And the science seems to line up in the terms of a mechanism relating to the changes that these drugs induce in terms of the pH or acidity of the gastrointestinal system and the effects that that change has then on the bacteria that live within us. Right. The bacteria living within us control things like immunity and inflammation. We saw in the report an increased risk of coronary artery-related events, in other words, myocardial infarction or heart attack, and also a dramatic increased risk of another inflammatory issue that is called dementia. Yes, an inflammatory disorder. Again, possibly, if not probably, related to changes in the gut bacteria. So, I bring you this information again to drive home the message that your gut bacteria and caring for them is really very, very important. And again, to give a couple of thoughts the next time you think you want to take any medication, and in this case, the proton pump inhibiting acid blocking drugs. Thanks for joining us. I'm Dr. David Perlmutter. Thank you.
