Thoughts on PPI's being linked to dementia later in life?

The study uses participants who were dementia free at baseline, aged 75 yrs, so at the start of the study, everyone was clean, the only difference (supposedly) was ~2500 individuals started using PPIs.

In the end, I still agree. I'm not stopping my PPIs, dementia be damned.

I am 21 months post sleeve surgery and have developed a horrible case of GERD.  I'm currently on a PPI 2x/day (a protonix/dexilant combination) and worry about this.  My father passed away due to complications from frontal lobe dementia, and, after seeing the damage the disease does not only to the sufferer, but the family, I am afraid every day that it will be my fate.  I'm truly torn about PPI use.  I had to go without my PPI for a week prior to a 24-hour pH study and I was miserable and in pain the entire time, so I know I can't come off the meds.  But, I also don't want to do anything that may increase my chance of coming down with any form of dementia (ironic for someone who apparently did not give a crap about her health for a good portion of her life).  Anyway, I am currently working with my surgeon to come up with a treatment plan, short of revision, that will alleviate my symptoms.  I sent him an email regarding the most recent study(ies) and am waiting to hear back from him.  I'd be happy to share his views when he responds. 

I'm definitely interested in everyone's opinion on this topic.

I get it. My recovery from the latest surgery (2nd hiatel hernia repair, gallbladder) is thus far causing a ton of acid issues. It is actually worse, not better. Not sure if the repair didn't hold, or maybe I am just swollen still, or who knows. What I do know is that another surgery for repair is much more complicated and fruaght with risk, and the surgeon indicagted the next step would likely be revision to alleviate the acid should the hernia continue to be uncooperative. Hence, I have been thinking a lot about revision and what that might mean. My first hope is that the acid thing just solves itself. But from that point- acid meds 2 times daily at the moment. If it is the hernia again and if it follows what happened last time, eventually the meds won't do it. Then surgery I must. Those are a lot of ifs, I know. 

But, perhaps a silver lining might be dropping the meds. I just don't know, since I don't know anything about revisions and almost nothing about rny. Not sure in other words if I would just be swapping problems, or putting the acid issue to rest and leaving the stomach herniated should that end up being the issue. Something to think about and learn more about for sure while I wait out the recovery.

It's possible it's the diet people have that causes them to be on the PPIs which contributes to dementia.  New research shows Alzheimer's is closely linked to high sugar diets (it's sometimes called diabetes type 3), and it's possible that one of the causes of GERD is a diet high in refined carbohydrates/sugars - at least in the low-carb research sphere that's been discussed on and off for several years.  

I haven't read the original study, though, but it'd be interesting to see if they divided groups by diet, as well.