According to a study published this past Wednesday, March 2 in the U.S., adults who regularly taking ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory found in particular in Advil, will see their risk of developing Parkinson’s disease reduced by 27% compared to those not consuming it.
“There is no remedy against Parkinson’s disease, so the possibility that ibuprofen, a relatively nontoxic drug, may help protect against this disease is exciting” said Dr. Alberto Ascherio , professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the School of Public Health from Harvard University (Massachusetts), who is one of the co-authors of this research.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic neurological disease affecting the central nervous system, responsible for motor disorders, which usually affects people after turning 50 years old. At least half a million Americans suffer this debilitating disease, and 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, a number expected to increase with the aging population.
Neurologists believe that ibuprofen reduces inflammation in the brain that may contribute to disease. “Our results show that ibuprofen protects the brain in a manner not comparable with other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent) and analgesics like aspirin ” , says Dr. Xiang Gao , Faculty of Medicine at Harvard, a leading researcher and co-author of the study.
This work, published in the online version of the journal Neurology , the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, are based on analysis of medical data from 98,892 nurses and 37,305 men who are also health professionals. Taking ibuprofen at least twice a week is considered standard usage, note the authors of the research.
In an editorial accompanying the study, Dr. James Bower , a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, however, warned against the risks of taking ibuprofen regularly to avoid developing Parkinson’s disease, believing that more research should be done on the neuro-protective effects of this unique molecule.