People who took the painkiller ibuprofen for more than five years had a 40 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
The study involved more than 49,000 U.S. veterans aged 55 and older who developed Alzheimer’s and nearly 200,000 who had no form of dementia.
DOCTOR Caution: DON’T START TAKING IBUPROFEN
Another important piece of information for those predisposed by genetics to Alzheimer’s.
Sources Reuters and journal Neurology
Long-term ibuprofen use cut Alzheimer’s risk: study (extract from article)
People who took the painkiller ibuprofen for more than five years had a 40 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
They also found that certain other medicines in the same class, known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, reduced the risk of developing the illness by 25 percent.
“Some of these medications taken long-term decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, but it’s very dependent on the exact drugs used. It doesn’t appear that all NSAIDs decrease the risk at the same rate,” Dr. Steven Vlad of Boston University School of Medicine, whose study appears in the journal Neurology, said in a statement.
The study involved more than 49,000 U.S. veterans aged 55 and older who developed Alzheimer’s and nearly 200,000 who had no form of dementia. The researchers looked at more than five years of prescription data from the U.S. Veterans Affairs health care system, and at several different NSAIDs.
They found those who were prescribed ibuprofen for more than five years were 40 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who did not. The longer they used ibuprofen — sold under many brand names, including Motrin and Advil — the lower their risk.
DOCTOR: DON’T START TAKING IBUPROFEN
Alzheimer’s disease has been linked with inflammation, and researchers believe that anti-inflammatory drugs might help delay onset of the disease.
Despite the benefits, Vlad does not recommend that people start taking ibuprofen in the hopes of staving off Alzheimer’s disease.
“All NSAIDs have significant risks including ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, kidney dysfunction, elevated blood pressure and, certainly in the case of COX-II inhibitors like (Merck Inc’s withdrawn drug) Vioxx, a cardiovascular risk,” he said.
“I think the major implications of this study are more in the direction of prompting further research: a trial of ibuprofen to prevent Alzheimer’s disease might be reasonable,” he said.
Alzheimer's Dementia 