News: Ibuprofen cuts Parkinson's disease risk!

People who take ibuprofen on a regular basis have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease, research suggests. The drug is commonly used to ease aches and pains but US research, in Neurology journal, found it had an added benefit.

In studies of more than 135,000 men and women regular users of ibuprofen were 40% less likely to develop Parkinson's. However, experts say it is too early to say whether the benefits of taking the drug outweigh the risk of side effects such as gastrointestinal bleeding.

Scientists have suspected for some time that anti-inflammatory drugs might help buffer against the disease but it was unclear which ones conferred a benefit. This most recent study suggests it is ibuprofen alone that has an effect.

We know that inflammatory changes in the brain may be involved in the death of nerve cells which cause Parkinson's, but ibuprofen can cause worrying side effects, like an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. A recent study also linked ibuprofen taken daily for some years to a small increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Paula.