17-03-2025
Common 3p anti-inflammatory pill 'can help prevent dementia' says new study
Common anti-inflammatory painkillers which people take on a daily basis have been linked to a decrease in the risk of developing dementia, according to a new study. The results of a study released this week showed that long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medications were behind the improvement.
These include well-known drugs like ibuprofen, which can be bought in Tesco for 39p for 16, naproxen and aspirin. Scientific research has already suggested that dementia can be caused by inflammation - but this is thought to be the first time taking the drugs has been credited with reducing the risk.
The NSAID medications, with their anti-inflammatory effects, can help protect against dementia — which affects more than 55 million people worldwide. Arfan Ikram, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, in the Netherlands said: 'Our study provides evidence on possible preventive effects of anti-inflammatory medication against the dementia process.'
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The study followed 11,745 adults for an average of 14.5 years. Among them, 9,520 had used NSAIDs at some point, and 2,091 were diagnosed with dementia. Researchers found that those who took NSAIDs long-term had a 12% lower risk of developing dementia. However, short- and intermediate-term use showed no benefits, and higher cumulative doses did not further reduce risk.
The results, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, showed that long-term NSAID use was associated with a 12 per cent reduced risk of developing dementia. Short and intermediate-term use did not provide benefits.
Ikram said: 'There is a need for more studies to further consolidate this evidence and possibly develop preventive strategies,' . The results suggested prolonged use was the key rather than high dosages.
Ibuprofen can have potentially serious side effects, and medics suggest people eat just before as Ibuprofen can cause ulcers in your stomach or gut, especially if you take it by mouth for a long time or in big doses. If you need to take it for a long time your doctor may also prescribe a medicine to help protect your stomach.
NHS doctor Mark Porter has previously spoken about anti-inflammatories - and explained that very well-used pills like ibuprofen can lead to 'life-threatening' stomach ulcers - and explained the early red flags of how to spot if there's a problem.
And the commonly taken types such as ibuprofen can in fact increase blood pressure, the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and kidney disease. Dr Porter wrote in his Times column that 'tens of thousands' of people are hospitalised every year - with one in ten dying. About one in ten will develop a stomach or duodenal ulcer at some stage and while most recover with no issues, some, never even make it to hospital.
Dr Porter said: 'Complications from these peptic ulcers, such as bleeding and perforation, can be life-threatening and hospitalise tens of thousands of people a year in the UK, at least one in ten of whom will never return home. Catastrophic though these 'burst' ulcers can be, it's bleeding that poses the bigger threat nationally because it is far more common.
'In a typical year in the UK about 25,000 people will require admission to hospital because of a bleed from the upper part of their gut, and many of them end up there because of the pills they are taking.' He said the main reason people get the issue is nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), the family of drugs that includes aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac and naproxen, 'taken by millions of people to treat problems such as arthritis and back pain'.
He said that anyone on an NSAID can develop problems like indigestion and heartburn, but the higher the dose and the longer it is taken, the greater the risk of an ulcer or bleed. And he warned: 'An average person taking an NSAID is four times as likely to have a bleed from their stomach than a peer who is not taking one. If they are also taking an SSRI-type antidepressant (eg sertraline or citalopram) — as about one in six adults in the UK will at some stage this year — that risk increases to sevenfold. And if you take an NSAID and a steroid (eg prednisolone) it rises to twelvefold.'
Dr Porter said taking acid-suppressing medication such as omeprazole and lansoprazole alongside the NSAID, will help stop it happening. He added: 'Some commonly used types, including ibuprofen, increase the risk of stroke and heart attack, and they can all raise blood pressure, cause fluid retention, lead to kidney disease (and failure) and aggravate asthma.'
A recent study published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, that looked at health data from over 130 million individuals showed that antibiotics, antivirals, vaccinations, and anti-inflammatory medication are associated with reduced risk of dementia. This finding supports the hypothesis that common dementias may be triggered by viral or bacterial infections.
According to data from the World Health Organization, every year, there are nearly 10 million new cases of dementia — currently the seventh leading cause of death and one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people globally.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and may contribute to 60-70 per cent of cases.
