Antacids that help ease digestion and gut problems also increase the risk of a heart attack, new research has discovered.
The drugs, known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), raise the risk by between 16 and 21 per cent. They are the third most common drugs in the US, and achieve $13 bn of annual global sales.
It’s already known that the drugs damage the lining of the blood vessels, and so researchers from Stanford University surmised that they could also be causing a heart attack.
Their fears were confirmed when they investigated the health records of 2.9 million Americans; they also found that another type of antacid, the H2 blocker, didn’t carry the same risk. The popular H2s include Zantac and Tagamet.
Around one in 14 Americans takes a PPI drug.
(Source: PLOS One, 2015; 10 (6): e0124653)
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