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Alzheimer's Prevention With Ibuprofen

Since 2008 there has been some controversy regarding the use of ibuprofen, which is an over-the-counter NSAID medication, to prevent and protect against Alzheimer's disease. Even the skeptics seem to see some positive attributes to taking ibuprofen, but researchers are still unclear as to the effectiveness and the safety of ibuprofen against Alzheimer's disease.

  1. Does It Really Work?

    • According to Alzheimer's prevention expert Christine Kennard, long-term use of the painkiller ibuprofen has been proven to decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease by as much as 40 percent. These findings were published in the Journal of Neurology. The study showed that other NSAIDs were not quite as effective as ibuprofen.

    About the Ibuprofen/Alzheimer's Prevention Study

    • In 2008, a study was conducted surrounding the idea that ibuprofen can be used to prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The study was conducted at Boston University School of Medicine, Boston University School of Public Health and Bedford Veterans Affairs Medical center. 49,000 veterans aged 55-years-old or older participated in the group. Previous studies had shown that people who take ibuprofen on a regular basis were less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Though the findings of this 2008 study were positive, researchers made these from observations alone and have further research to conduct before understanding exactly why ibuprofen protects against Alzheimer's disease, as well as how safe it is.

    The Doubts

    • According to a study published Med Headlines (submitted by Health Matters) on May 29, 2008, ibuprofen may not offer any better protection against Alzheimer's disease than any other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).

      The study challenges a report that clearly states ibuprofen can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by as much as 23 percent. Peter P. Zandi, PhD of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is the researcher who challenged previous study findings in 2008.

      In 2008, data from six different studies was pooled for data comparison. The studies showed that ibuprofen should not be used to protect against Alzheimer's disease because of the negative side effects that the over-the-counter medication may have.

      The bad part of taking an NSAID on a daily basis is the side effects and symptoms that occur with taking so much of it. There was still, however, a reduction in risk with some individuals, so researchers were interested in the possibility of taking ibuprofen or another NSAID drug to protect against Alzheimer's, but were still on the fence about the safety of doing so.

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