Long-term use of ibuprofen and some similar drugs cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. The study found the drugs cut the risk of dementia by more than 40%, WebMD reports. Doctors warn, however, that such medications can have serious side effects and that it 's too early to recommend taking them to ward off the disease.
"I would not advise patients to start taking an NSAID to prevent Alzheimer's," said one of the authors of the study, published in the journal Neurology. "We would need a lot more research to figure out the risk-benefit ratio." NSAIDs apparently reduce the inflammation associated with Alzheimer's. (More ibuprofen stories.)