1. Kidney Disease
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health analyzed two sets of data representing more than 250,000 people in an attempt to find a link between PPI use and kidney problems (5).
It was found that regular users of PPIs were 13% more likely to develop chronic kidney disease than acid reflux sufferers that do not take the medication.
Other studies have found that PPI use makes patients 20%-50% higher risk of chronic kidney disease (6). The condition is known to cause toxic overload, fluid retention and central nervous system damage (7).
2. Heart Disease
Stanford University in California found people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who took PPIs had a 16 percent risk of heart attack. They were also twice as likely to die from cardiovascular problems (8).
Another study, conducted by the Stanford University Medical Center found that the drug may lead to cardiovascular problems.
“The findings show that proton-pump inhibitors may not only lower stomach acid, they may also affect the health of the blood vessel itself,” said study co-author Dr. Nicholas Leeper, a cardiologist and an assistant professor of surgery at the university.
This is due to reduced levels of nitric oxide, a chemical which is produced to protect and relax blood vessels. This can lead to an increased risk of heart attack.
In fact, according to Dr. John Cooke, chair of cardiovascular sciences at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, PPI users are 16- 21% more likely to suffer a heart attack over a 17-year period than chronic acid reflux suffers who were not taking the medication (9).