A common type of painkiller that sells for as little as 3p a pill in the UK could help lower your risk of a devastating condition. New research has linked anti-inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen, to a reduced likelihood of developing dementia.
Antibiotics, antivirals, and vaccinations, were also associated with this, according to the study based on health data from more than 130 million individuals.
Researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Exeter, identified various existing drugs that have the potential to be repurposed to treat dementia.
Currently there is no cure for dementia, a syndrome that affects almost one million people in the UK. More recently, lecanemab and donanemab were found to reduce the build-up in the brain of amyloid plaques – a contributor of Alzheimer’s disease – and to slow down progression of the disease.
However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) ruled that the benefits were insufficient to justify approval for use within the NHS.
A study linked various existing medications to a reduced risk of dementia (Image: Getty)
Dr Ben Underwood, from the department of psychiatry at the University of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, commented: “We urgently need new treatments to slow the progress of dementia, if not to prevent it.
“If we can find drugs that are already licensed for other conditions, then we can get them into trials and — crucially — may be able to make them available to patients much, much faster than we could do for an entirely new drug. The fact they are already available is likely to reduce cost and therefore make them more likely to be approved for use in the NHS.”
In the study, published in , the team conducted a systematic review of existing scientific literature to look for evidence of prescription drugs that altered the risk of dementia.
Overall, they examined 14 studies that used large clinical datasets and medical records, including data from more than 130 million people and one million dementia cases. Several drug classes were found to be associated with altered risk.
A surprising result was an association between antibiotics, antivirals and vaccines, and a reduced risk of dementia. This backs the theory that some dementias may be triggered by viral or bacterial infections, and supports recent interest in vaccines, such as the BCG vaccine for tuberculosis, and decreased risk of dementia.
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Moreover, anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen were associated with reduced risk. Inflammation is already thought to be a major contributor to a wide range of diseases, including dementia.
However, Dr Ilianna Lourida from the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula (PenARC), University of Exeter, cautioned: “Because a particular drug is associated with an altered risk of dementia, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it causes or indeed helps in dementia. We know that diabetes increases your risk of dementia, for example, so anyone on medication to manage their glucose levels would naturally also be at a higher risk of dementia — but that doesn’t mean the drug increases your risk.
“It’s important to remember that all drugs have benefits and risks. You should never change your medicine without discussing this first with your doctor, and you should speak to them if you have any concerns.”
Dr Underwood added: “Pooling these massive health data sets provides one source of evidence which we can use to help us focus on which drugs we should try first. We’re hopeful this will mean we can find some much-needed new treatments for dementia and speed up the process of getting them to patients.”
To lower your risk of dementia, the NHS recommends:
- Eating a balanced diet
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Exercising regularly
- Keeping alcohol within recommended limits
- Stopping smoking
- Keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level
- Staying socially active
At the time of reporting, you can buy a 16 pack of ibuprofen from Boots for 55p, which equates to just over 3p per pill.