Researchers have found a link between using antacid tablets and heart attack in a recently reported study. Researchers from Stanford University claimed that the risk of a heart attack is 16 to 21% higher for people taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).

Findings of the study have been published in the open-access medical journal PLOS One. The patients in the study were taking the medication for acid reflux or heartburn. Doctors usually recommend PPIs to treat peptic ulcers. The drug is often prescribed to be used in combination with aspirin to reduce the risk of bleeding in gastrointestinal tract.

According to the researchers, the study helped them understand that the PPIs have the potential of causing heart problems as they lower the level of nitric oxide, which is linked to cardiac problems.

However, the researchers have not suggested to stop taking PPIs prescribed to them by their doctors as it could lead to bleeding. It is very important for anyone self-medicating with over-the-counter PPIs for more than two weeks to seek advice from their GP.

Heartburn is a plight of millions of people, causing great discomfort and altering their choice for what all they can or can't eat. Heartburn drugs help those patients to get some respite from their symptoms. However, findings of the new study point towards the risk of a heart attack because of using PPIs.

"We looked at cardiovascular risk for different PPI drugs. And we found that the degree to which the use of any particular PPI was associated with a subsequent heart attack mirrors the degree to which the drug inhibits nitric oxide in the vasculature", said Nigam Shah, an assistant professor of biomedical informatics and assistant director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Informatics Research.