Association Between Proton‐Pump Inhibitors and Muscle Strength in Older Adults: A Population‐Based Analysis
7 affiliations
- 1Abdominal Center – Department of Gastroenterology Turku University Hospital and University of Turku Turku Finland
- 2Department of Internal Medicine University of Turku Turku Finland
- 3Heart Unit Satakunta Central Hospital Pori Finland
- 4Division of Medicine Turku University Hospital and University of Turku Turku Finland
- 5Department of Geriatric Medicine Turku University Hospital and University of Turku Turku Finland
- 6Department of Neurobiology, Care sciences and Society Karolinska Institutet Huddinge Sweden
- 7Theme Inflammation and Aging Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm Sweden
Abstract
Objective: We aimed to assess the association of proton‐pump inhibitor (PPI) use with muscle strength in older adults.
Methods: All 1940‐born residents of Turku, Finland were surveyed during 2016 and 2017 as part of the New Turku Older Adults Study. Associations between PPI use, regardless of dosing pattern, and physical function were analyzed using Welch's t‐test, chi‐square test, and linear and logistic regression models. Models were initially run as crude, then adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index (Multivariable Model 1), and further adjusted for the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (Multivariable Model 2).
Results: Among 616 participants (63.1% females), PPI users had lower mean handgrip strength (27.6 kg vs. 30.1 kg, p = 0.019), slower median 4‐m walking performance (3.7 s vs. 3.5 s, p = 0.017), and lower success in the armchair push–pull test (86.9% vs. 95.4%, p = 0.002) compared with non‐users. Crude regression analyses showed poorer performance across all outcomes among PPI users (all p < 0.05); however, this persisted only for the armchair push–pull test through Multivariable Model 2 (odds ratio 0.40, 95% confidence interval 0.19–0.85, p = 0.02). In the sensitivity analysis, replacing the CCI with non‐vitamin medication burden attenuated this association as well (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: PPI use in older adults is significantly associated with lower muscle strength and poorer physical performance in less adjusted models, with these associations attenuating and disappearing with stepwise adjustment. These findings underscore the need to consider residual confounding in studies linking PPI use to adverse outcomes.
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BibTeX
@article{ollila2026association,
title = {{Association Between Proton‐Pump Inhibitors and Muscle Strength in Older Adults: A Population‐Based Analysis}},
author = {Jaakko Ollila and Konsta Teppo and Kimmo Salminen and Adriana Lääti and Jenni Vire and Matti Viitanen and Ville Langén},
journal = {Journal of Digestive Diseases},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1111/1751-2980.70068},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-2980.70068},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Association Between Proton‐Pump Inhibitors and Muscle Strength in Older Adults: A Population‐Based Analysis
AU - Jaakko Ollila
AU - Konsta Teppo
AU - Kimmo Salminen
AU - Adriana Lääti
AU - Jenni Vire
AU - Matti Viitanen
AU - Ville Langén
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Journal of Digestive Diseases
DO - 10.1111/1751-2980.70068
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-2980.70068
AB - Objective: We aimed to assess the association of proton‐pump inhibitor (PPI) use with muscle strength in older adults. Methods: All 1940‐born residents of Turku, Finland were surveyed during 2016 and 2017 as part of the New Turku Older Adults Study. Associations between PPI use, regardless of dosing pattern, and physical function were analyzed using Welch's t‐test, chi‐square test, and linear and logistic regression models. Models were initially run as crude, then adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index (Multivariable Model 1), and further adjusted for the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (Multivariable Model 2). Results: Among 616 participants (63.1% females), PPI users had lower mean handgrip strength (27.6 kg vs. 30.1 kg, p = 0.019), slower median 4‐m walking performance (3.7 s vs. 3.5 s, p = 0.017), and lower success in the armchair push–pull test (86.9% vs. 95.4%, p = 0.002) compared with non‐users. Crude regression analyses showed poorer performance across all outcomes among PPI users (all p < 0.05); however, this persisted only for the armchair push–pull test through Multivariable Model 2 (odds ratio 0.40, 95% confidence interval 0.19–0.85, p = 0.02). In the sensitivity analysis, replacing the CCI with non‐vitamin medication burden attenuated this association as well (p > 0.05). Conclusions: PPI use in older adults is significantly associated with lower muscle strength and poorer physical performance in less adjusted models, with these associations attenuating and disappearing with stepwise adjustment. These findings underscore the need to consider residual confounding in studies linking PPI use to adverse outcomes.
SN - 1751-2972
SN - 1751-2980
ER -