| 16 weeks 6 days 36 min ago Anti-inflammatory drugs won't save memory
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(NECN/ABC) - Experts predict that, by 2010, there will be a half million new cases of Alzheimer's disease in the United States each year.
Studies suggest that people who take anti-inflammatory painkillers have a lower risk of dementia, so doctors set out to see if giving these drugs to high risk patients could actually lower their risk for the disease.
Research shows that inflammation in the body can damage cell function, and people with dementia often show high levels of inflammation in their bodies.
Doctors wondered if blocking inflammation with painkillers such as Celebrex and Aleve could reduce cell damage and prevent dementia.
They tested the theory in a study of more than 2,100 older adults at high risk for Alzheimer's disease due to a family history of the disease.
Around 900 took a placebo, while the rest either took Celebrex or Aleve twice a day for about 3 years.
Results showed no protection of mental function for people taking the anti-inflammatory medications. In fact, those who took Aleve performed slightly worse on mental tests than those taking the placebo.
Researchers plan to keep following the patients to see if benefits to the drugs emerge over time, but right now, they say the painkillers cannot be recommended to reduce Alzheimer's risk.
Experts say the best way to reduce your risk is to treat your brain well -- exercise & eat a healthy diet, do not smoke, and keep brain cells firing by reading,
doing puzzles, and performing other mental activities.
ABC's Dr. Timothy Johnson has the details.
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