March 22, 2011
8:56PM
Dr. Xiang Gao, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and a research scientist at Harvard School of Public Health stated “we found ibuprofen, a commonly used drug by Americans, could be neuroprotective against Parkinson's disease." Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder that causes movement, and coordination problems. According to new research conducted by Gao, regular users of ibuprofen may be reducing their risk of the disease. "Protective effects are seen after taking ibuprofen two or more times a week," he said. "That's so-called regular use." This information was published in the journal Neurology March 2nd. The article is an additional source of information from a previous studying linking ibuprofen and the disease conducted by Gao. To conduct his study Gao analyzed date from about 99,000 women, and 37,000 men. These patients were questioned about their usage of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen) and their usages of medications such as aspirin. During the six-year follow up, 291 cases of Parkinson's disease were identified. Those who used ibuprofen had a 38 percent reduced risk of developing the disease compared to those who didn't use it, even after taking into account age, smoking and other factors. Despite these findings, Gao expresses that there are no reasons to start taking ibuprofen to ward off the disorder. Ibuprofen may not necessarily protect one against Parkinson’s disease, but there is an association. As Gao stated “we just see an association, not some causal relationship." Dr. Michael Rezak, director of the Movement Disorder Center at Central DuPage Hospital, in Illinois, also sided with Gao. He expressed that these findings should not encourage people to take up an ibuprofen habit to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Rezak also states that ibuprofen "may have some disease-modifying, neuroprotective effect in Parkinson's disease."There are risks for overdosing in ibuprofen Rezak warns, warnings such as bleeding and gastrointestinal hemorrhage, citizens are encouraged to take ibuprofen in moderation.
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/650476.html
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