Potential for protection

Study links ibuprofen use to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s

The anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen might partially protect against Alzheimer’s disease, a new study finds. But researchers caution that the findings, gleaned from the medical records of U.S. veterans, need to be confirmed in a clinical trial pitting ibuprofen against other drugs or a placebo.

Researchers tapped into a huge database of veterans’ health records to determine whether taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, referred to as NSAIDs, affects the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.