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A large U.S. study is indicating that the long-term use of the painkiller ibuprofen may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
This is the just the latest study adding to a body of work showing ibuprofen may have the ability to reduce the formation of plaque in the brains of those who suffer the debilitating mental disorder.
The length of time on ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) may be the key.
Data from 250,000 veterans shows that those who used ibuprofen for five years or longer were more than 40 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
In this report, published in Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine researchers looked at five years of data from 49,300 people who were over the age of 55 years and had developed Alzheimer’s disease.
Comparing them to 200,000 controls, the use of painkillers from the NSAID group was associated with a 24 percent reduce risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease when the drugs were taken for five years.
But the group on the ibuprofen had the most promising results.
Ibuprofen is an over-the-counter painkiller also known as Motrin, Advil, Midol, Nuprin, Medipren, Brufen, Genpril.
Used to reduce fever and pain, Ibuprofen was introduced in 1974. It is in a class of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and it works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body. Higher doses are used to treat inflammation but aspirin is still considered superior in reducing inflammation.
Side effects may include gastrointestional irritation and kidney damage when used to treat arthritis. If you are on a regular dosage of aspirin, it is not recommended that you also take ibuprofen.
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine are stopping short of recommending a daily treatment of ibuprofen to lower your risk of Alzheimer’s because of the side effects.
Other studies have shown the length of time you take ibuprofen is more important in lowering Alzheimer’s risk than in the amount in the dose.
Called the Rotterdam study, it found that those taking NSAIDs for seven years reduced your risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease to 1.3 percent compared to 8.2 percent in non-users of NSAIDs.
The NSAIDs used here included the five most common - diclofenac (Voltaren), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox), piroxicam (Feldene), and indomethacin (Indocid), in that order.
A separate study in Neurology shows people who have shorter arms and legs may be at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life. Early nutrition may be the factor linking the two.
Neurology also reports in another study out of Oregon State University on Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) found, in a secondary analysis adjusted for medication adherence, a protective effect on the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and memory decline. #