A research study authored by Peter P. Zandi, PhD, with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, shows that painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen can influence someone's chance of developing Alzheimer's disease.

The new research examined data from six studies involving 13,499 people without dementia and concluded that those who used aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and other brands) and naproxen (Aleve and other brands) known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), had a 23 percent lower risk for Alzheimer's compared with people who did not use these drugs. Over the course of these six studies, 820 participants developed Alzheimer's.

"This is an interesting finding because it seems to challenge a current theory that the NSAID group which includes ibuprofen may work better in reducing a person's risk of Alzheimer's," Zandi told Science Daily.
However good NSAIDs were in preventing Alzheimer's, Dr. Zandi underlined the risks posed by the long-term use of these drugs. They can cause serious gastrointestinal bleeding. Therefore, Dr. Zandi did not recommend permanent use of NSAIDs just to prevent Alzheimer's disease.

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