Researchers looking at 1.9 million individuals aged 60 to 75 found a “significant” link between ingestion of proton pump inhibitors for reducing stomach acid and all-cause dementia.

During the study, 99,384 individuals developed dementia, with older individuals less likely to develop it than those aged 60 to 69. Scientists cautioned that more studies are still needed, as “correlations have also been seen between Alzheimer’s disease and specific gut microbiota populations, which could further confound causal relationships.”

“This does not mean that PPI use causes dementia, as there is potential for a reverse causality, where acid production in the stomach is increased early in the development of dementia and PPI treatments are used to treat the symptom of a disease already in progression,” they said.

“Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms underlying this association and whether it varies among dementia subtypes.”

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MedicalXPress October 16, 2023