Extended Use Of Certain Heartburn Meds Could Be Linked To Dementia

<div><img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/64db52602300003300848dee.jpeg?cache=Ua4IKFXOqQ&ops=scalefit_630_noupscale" alt="" data-caption="" data-credit-link-back="" data-credit="RealPeopleGroup via Getty Images" /></div><div class="content-list-component text"><p>If you’re regularly struck by a case of acid reflux, you’re probably familiar with a type of heartburn medication called a <a href="proton pump inhibito" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">proton pump inhibitor</a>, or PPI. </p><p>These “stop stomach acid collecting in the stomach and therefore stop causing problems such as indigestion and regurgitation,” <a href="https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/proton-pump-inhibitors-ppis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">says NHS Cambridge</a>. And in doing so, they ease the symptoms ― and cull the cause ― of heartburn, too. </p><p>These types of medication are readily available over-the-counter, and can be seriously helpful after an extravagant dinner. However, <a href="https://n.neurology.org/content/early/2023/08/09/WNL.0000000000207747" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a recent study</a> has found links between the long-term, frequent use of PPIs and participants’ risk for dementia. </p><p>Those aged 45 and older who took the medication for over four years were 33% more likely to go on to become dementia patients ― though these results were not seen in shorter usage, and the study only involved older adults. Results were adjusted for comorbidities, demographics, and other medicine use. </p><p>Study author Dr. Kamakshi Lakshminarayan, a neurologist at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2