Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) — some of the most widely prescribed drugs in the U.S. — are used to treat heartburn, indigestion, and stomach ulcers. They work by shutting down hydrochloric acid production in the stomach. This class of drugs has only been approved by the FDA for short-term (a few weeks) use, but are routinely prescribed for many years.

Long-term blockages of stomach acid production can cause many health problems, including osteoporosis. As reported in the journal Gut, researchers studying the association between Type 2 diabetes and PPIs performed a prospective analysis of 204,689 participants without diabetes in the Nurses’ Health Study. Regular PPI users had a 24 percent greater risk of diabetes than nonusers. And the risk of diabetes increased with the duration of PPI use. For participants who used PPIs for less than two years, the risk increased 5 percent. For those who used PPIs for more than two years, risk increased 26 percent.

Simply put, proton-pump inhibitors are overprescribed and overused. Stopping the production of hydrochloric acid for a long term is not a good thing. This study showed it can even increase the risk of diabetes, which is a known risk factor for a worse COVID-19 outcome.

The last thing you want to do is to take a medication that significantly increases your risk of diabetes. But higher risk of diabetes is not the only problem associated with PPIs.

We need adequate stomach acid to break down food so that we can absorb vitamins and minerals. Lack of stomach acid guarantees that a person will be nutritionally deficient.

I see this all the time in patients who take PPIs for longer than three weeks. As noted, osteoporosis is another risk factor with long-term PPI use. It is difficult to treat osteoporosis if someone has been taking a PPI for longer than a few weeks.

PPIs are indicated during times of gastrointestinal bleeding from stomach ulcers. A short course of a few weeks is perfectly reasonable in such a situation. If you have been taking a PPI for longer than a few weeks, I suggest working with a holistic doctor who can help you get off them.

More information about PPIs can be found in my book, "Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do."