The claimEvidence C · limited
Acid-blockers (PPIs) leach your calcium and cause osteoporosis
The evidence
PPI → calcium/iron is plausible but weak and debated; what's solid is long-term-use hypomagnesemia (FDA 2011) and low B12.
The mechanism, in brief
The same logic — a nutrient's absorption or retention rides on one specific condition in the body; change that condition and the nutrient suffers — holds at other organs too.
Sources (2)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2011). FDA Drug Safety Communication: Low magnesium levels can be associated with long-term use of Proton Pump Inhibitor drugs (PPIs).
- Lam, J. R., Schneider, J. L., Zhao, W., & Corley, D. A. (2013). Proton pump inhibitor and histamine 2 receptor antagonist use and vitamin B12 deficiency. JAMA, 310(22), 2435-2442. In a large case-control study, two or more years of PPI use was associated with increased risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.