Telegraph.co.uk (02/01/12) Smith, Rebecca
A study published in the British Medical Journal indicates that post-menopausal women regularly taking protein pump inhibitors for at least two years are nearly 35 percent more likely to suffer a hip fracture. Protein pump inhibitors are often prescribed for heartburn, acid reflux, or peptic ulcers, most commonly as omeprazole and lansoprazole. The risk increased with the length of time taking the protein pump inhibitors as those who had taken them for six to eight years were 50 percent more likely to fracture a hip. The protein pump inhibitors are believed to affect the body's ability to adsorb calcium, and common factors that mitigate hip fracture risk, like exercise and calcium intake, did not affect the increasing risk of fracture with longer use. The study did find that the risk levels returned to normal after two years without taking the drugs.

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