It already works wonders on pounding headaches. But ibuprofen could also hold the secret to a long and healthy life
It already works wonders on pounding headaches.
But ibuprofen could also hold the secret to a long and healthy life.
In a series of remarkable experiments, the popular painkiller gave ageing mice a new lease of life.
Researchers from Newcastle University say it might help people with age-related illnesses such as diabetes and dementia from growing old before their time.
While it is unlikely to improve their illness, the inexpensive drug might slow its progression – and help prevent them from developing other debilitating conditions.
As surprising as this might seem, researcher Thomas von Zglinicki said it is not unusual for a drug that is developed to treat one thing to have other powers.
At the heart of Professor von Zglinicki’s theory is the inflammation that causes pain, swelling and fever we experience when our body is fighting off an infection.
This inflammation is also present in a milder but longer-term form in age-related diseases such as diabetes, dementia and arthritis.
Using GM mice, the professor showed that far from being a result of ageing, this inflammation helps drive it. Mice with genes that made them particularly prone to inflammation aged twice as quickly as normal animals.
Just like people, their hair turned grey and fell out, they lost weight, became unsteady on their feet and had heart problems. They also lived half as long as usual.
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In a series of remarkable experiments, the popular painkiller gave ageing mice a new lease of life
Tests showed that the inflammation triggered a chain of reactions that led to cells going to sleep, rather making new copies needed to help keep the body and its organs young.
Treating the mice with ibuprofen stopped the cells from going into this sleeping state.
Plus, the animals were able to repair damage to their liver, the journal Nature Communications reports.
Professor von Zglinicki said mice were ‘basically brought back to normal’. He is now checking if the treatment also extends lifespan.
Ibuprofen is taken by up to nine million Britons a day to treat headaches, muscle pain, sprains and flu.
But it can also cause indigestion and stomach ulcers, while higher doses taken long-term for conditions such as arthritis can raise the risk of strokes and heart attacks, and even reduce a woman’s fertility.
While the professor says that regular ibuprofen might help people with age-related illnesses such as dementia and diabetes, he advises them to talk to their GP first before starting self-medication.
They should also ask their doctor to do a simple blood test to confirm they are a victim of mild but persistent inflammation.
‘The hope is not really that it will improve the illness that they have but that it might slow the progression,’ he said.
Ibuprofen is unlikely to help those who are healthy but would simply like to slow the ageing process – in the experiments, it had no effect on mice that were ageing normally.
The professor said: ‘Long-term drug use is something one has to think about and we cannot justify it in healthy people when the data don’t give us a strong basis.’
In the meantime, he suggests that those keen to stay young try to keep a lid on inflammation by eating foods that might help combat it, such as blueberries.
Dr Lynne Cox, an ageing expert at Oxford University, called the research ‘a lovely piece of science’.
However, she said side-effects associated with long-term use of ibuprofen are so serious that people should not take it just to keep them young.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2668602/Common-painkiller-help-prevent-premature-ageing-Ibuprofen-help-diabetes-dementia-patients-growing-old-time.html#ixzz35gDNVa5n
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