Acid Reflux?
Heartburn?
gerd?

Before we can get into why we should be avoiding antacids or PPI, we need to go back to some basics on the bodies pH levels. 

​

A healthy stomach acid level should be between a pH of 0.8-2.5.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

When the pH increases, we cannot properly digest our foods. This inability to digest foods cause other gut biome disorders such as constipation, diarrhea, malabsorption, leaky gut, etc. 

​

A study found that when the stomach acid was above a 4, the body's ability to defend itself was reduced. This reduction allows harmful organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, to flourish in the gut. This reduces the beneficial bacteria in our G.I. system used for digestion and breakdown of your food. So you're left with undigested food that puts more strain on the rest of your digestive system to be able to absorb the nutrients. 

​

Want to do your own science experiment in your body? Just kidding, sorta. You might have a high pH level if you ever get gas, belching, or indigestion after having a beer on an empty stomach. 

 

If you have a high pH level, then when you ingest foods that have yeast (beer, bread, etc.), they can start creating the yeast foam inside of your stomach - if you've ever fermented or made your own beer or wine, you know what that yeast foam does. It causes gas to be produced that puts pressure on your stomach and forces the valve between your stomach and esophagus to open. That's not it; that same action coats the valve in the foamy yeast bacteria that paralyzes it. That paralyzing effect and pressure over time can develop into a hiatal hernia. 

​

So we need our stomach acid to be low on the pH scale, which means we are high in stomach acid, which keeps the stomach in a healthy and digestive range. When we add in antacids, it raises the pH to 6 or above. A pH above 6 decreases the body's ability to digest food by now allowing enzymes to function. This lack of enzymes increases yeast and the risk of undigested food sitting in the stomach, causing bad breath. The antacid will help "solve" the acid from damaging the esophagus. Still, it is not solving the reason for the lack of stomach acid causing increased gas which can lead to heartburn. 

​

PPI, or proton pump inhibitors, reduce how much acid your stomach can produce. Omeprazole (Prilosec), Esomeprazole (Nexium), Lansoprazole (Prevacid), Rabeprazole (AcipHex), Pantoprazole (Protonix), Dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), or Zegerid (omeprazole with sodium bicarbonate) are common PPI's. 

​

Short-term effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) are:

• Abdominal pain

• Constipation

• Diarrhea

• Dizziness

• Fever

• Flatulence

• Headache

• Nausea

• Rash

• Stomach pain

• Vomiting

Long-term effects can be life-threatening. Prolonged use can cause:

• Kidney disease, injury or failure, or CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease)

• Heart attacks (increases your risk from 5.45% to 14.65%)

• Cancer

• Bone fractures

• Vitamin B12 deficiency

• Low magnesium levels

• Pneumonia

• Lupus erythematosus events

​

Recently the F.D.A. required manufacturers to add a CKD warning label on Proton Pump Inhibitors. A 2017 study in the journal Kidney International found long-term use to cause "silent" kidney damage. A 2016 study found that long-term users of PPIs were 28% more likely to suffer from CKD, and of those, 95% had to have kidney failure, or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). 

 

If that wasn't enough, PPI also lowers gastric acid levels so low that C. Diff (Clostridium Difficile) and pneumonia are more common. C. diff is a highly contagious infection and can cause life-threatening diarrhea and inflammation of the large intestine. Only using a PPI for a year increases your risk for pneumonia by 82%.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​