Can PPIs Damage Your Liver? The Hidden Risk of Long-Term Use

Are you taking a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) to address the symptoms of your acid reflux?Please note that acid reflux does not occur due to excess acid, but rather pressure inappropriately placed upon your stomach, forcing the acid up your esophagus and thus the symptoms of reflux.The decreased acid in your stomach creates problems for your liver, particularly leading to liver inflammation and non-alcoholic fatty liver.The diminished acid levels allow bacteria to overgrow in your stomach and small intestine. These bacteria produce endotoxins that get into your bloodstream and travel to your liver (via the portal vein) and trigger liver inflammation, fat accumulation, and eventually fatty liver. Those who are at higher risk for this include people who are obese, have diabetes or are consuming higher than moderate levels of alcohol.Another way the liver is affected is through bile. Bile is produced in the liver and housed in the gallbladder but there are actually two pools of bile. The primary is produced in the liver, but the secondary is formed by the gut bacteria. Of course when the gut bacteria are imbalance and more bad bacteria are present, such as the condition with a PPI, less secondary bile if formed. This results in less effective fat digestion and a higher incidence of diarrhea or irritation which can damage colon cells, increase inflammation and causes increased colon cancer risk. Due to fat malabsorption a person will not absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K.In summary, taking a PPI puts you at risk of malabsorption of important vitamins, toxic bile production, diarrhea which can be mistaken for IBS, fatty liver, colon inflammation and increased colon cancer risk.And this is just one of the more than 10 risks associated with taking PPIs.If you are on a PPI and would like to get to the root cause of your acid reflux and not have to concern yourself with the many dangerous side effects of these drugs, we are here for you. The best next step is to contact us for a consultation and then we can determine if what we do is a good fit for you. Call 727-335-0400.#acidreflux #fattyliver #rootcausemedicine