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There are cases wherein people would turn to heartburn drugs to aid them by blocking acid-producing cells that are in line with a person’s stomach though relying on them could turn out costly if this recent study is to be believed.

It seems that an over-the-counter drug was found to accelerate the aging of blood vessels and could lead to issues as far as its long-term effect on heart health. It seems that when faster aging blood cells are exposed to an antacid Nexium (esomeprazole), the study claims that the performance of cells that are responsible for the prevention of heart attack or stroke is affected.

This perhaps sheds more light on why proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have shown increased risk of heart disease since they do include Nexium.

"Our finding that the lining of blood vessels is impaired by proton pump inhibitors is a unifying mechanism for the reports that PPI users are at increased risk for heart attack, stroke and renal failure," said Dr. John Cooke, chair of cardiovascular sciences at the Houston Methodist Research Institute.

Despite the findings, Nexium manufacturer AstraZenecca issued a statement singling out that cause and effect may not be reliable since it was done under a laboratory setting and not on humans within a controlled clinical trial.

AztraZenecca goes on by saying that PPI medicines are safe and effective if used in accordance with its label. Unfortunately the ones who are using PPIs have reportedly not used it according to the set guidelines by the FDA. The guidelines call for individuals to limit it to a four-week course of treatment at only three-times a year.

"They are being used ubiquitously, for long periods of time. They aren't being used as originally approved," Cooke said.

Despite those claims, Dr. P.K Shah believes that findings stand to provide a reasonable explanation on how PPIs might affect the heart health of long-term users. Shah is the director of the Oppenheimer Atherosclerosis Research Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

The clinical data presented is helpful but Dr. Shah believes that there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered.

For the study, cultured the cells that line the walls of blood vessels (endothelial cells ) were exposed every day to doses of Nexium, something similar to what patients would receive for an extended period of time., which are called endothelial cells.

It was found that long-term PPI exposure impaired acid production by the lysosomes in the cells, which normally clear waste products. But when exposed to PPIs, the lysosomes didn't produce enough acid to clear waste. From here, the waste build-up caused endothelial cells to age rapidly and hamper their ability to protect blood vessels.

"Bottom line: If you take a daily PPI, which can save lives in the right scenario, check with your doctor and see if you really need it," said Dr. David Robbins, interim chief of gastroenterology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.