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Scientists in the UK have moved a step closer to understanding how ibuprofen could help treat cancer. The findings could lead to the drug being used as a preventative treatment for prostate cancer, in the future.Ibuprofen - a common painkiller - can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer, but the mechanism by which it inhibits tumour cells is still not fully understood. Now, Matthew Lloyd and his team from the University of Bath in the UK, in collaboration with Cancer Research UK, have uncovered a mechanism suggesting that the chiral inversion of ibuprofen inhibits the activity of the protein alpha-methylacyl-CoA...

Even short-term use of some painkillers could be dangerous for people who've had a heart attack, according to research published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers analyzed the duration of prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) treatment and cardiovascular risk in a nationwide Danish cohort of patients with prior heart attack. They found the use of NSAIDs was associated with a 45 percent increased risk of death or recurrent heart attack within as little as one week of treatment, and a 55 percent increased risk if treatment extended to three months. The study was limited by its observational...

With flu vaccination season in full swing, research from the University of Rochester Medical Center cautions that use of many common pain killers – Advil, Tylenol, aspirin – at the time of injection may blunt the effect of the shot and have a negative effect on the immune system. Richard P. Phipps, Ph.D., professor of Environmental Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and of Pediatrics, has been studying this issue for years and recently presented his latest findings to an international conference on inflammatory diseases. (http://bioactivelipidsconf.wayne.edu/) “What we’ve been saying all along, and continue to stress, is that it’s probably not a...

Ibuprofen Destroys Aspirin's Positive Effect On Stroke Risk, Study Shows ScienceDaily (Mar. 17, 2008) — Stroke patients who use ibuprofen for arthritis pain or other conditions while taking aspirin to reduce the risk of a second stroke undermine aspirin's ability to act as an anti-platelet agent, researchers at the University at Buffalo have shown. In a cohort of patients seen by physicians at two offices of the Dent Neurologic Institute, 28 patients were identified as taking both aspirin and ibuprofen (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID) daily and all were found to have no anti-platelet effect from their daily aspirin....

High doses of ibuprofen raise heart attack risk By Celia Hall, Medical Editor Last Updated: 2:05am BST 05/04/2007 The common pain killer ibuprofen has been found to increase an existing risk of having a heart attack or a stroke in people who suffer from arthritis, research shows today. For some the risk was nine times higher. The findings bring more anxiety to the millions of arthritis sufferers in Britain as they follow a series of research studies that have shown increased risk of heart disease from the pain killers they take to ease the condition. The latest evidence comes from...

Ibuprofen can double risk of heart attack, says medical study By Celia Hall, Medical Editor (Filed: 02/06/2006) Common painkillers such as ibuprofen can double the risk of suffering a heart attack, a study has found. Research published in the British Medical Journal analysed results of 138 trials involving 140,000 patients over several years. It found that ibuprofen and diclofenac, two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), could cause attacks when taken in high doses. Vioxx: Banned in 2004 The drugs have been previously noted for increasing heart attack risk but experts say that this is the biggest and most definitive study of...

Can a dietary supplement pick up the pieces? Glucosamine, often recommended for joint pain, is one of the most popular supplements on the market. And considering the health concerns recently associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, I thought it would be worth looking into whether glucosamine lives up to the hype.Background: Glucosamine and chondroitin are often combined together and used to treat osteoarthritis (OA), which occurs when the cartilage covering the end of the bone near the joint breaks down. OA affects the knees, backs, hips, hands and feet of more than 21 million people over age 45. And, according to...

Another Painkiller Linked to Heart RiskNIH Halts Study On Aleve Ingredient The epidemic of bad news about the potential risks of popular anti-inflammatory medications expanded yesterday as federal officials announced that naproxen, a painkiller sold by prescription and also over the counter as Aleve, might increase people's risk of having a heart attack or stroke. <> The new findings bring to three the number of widely used anti-inflammatory drugs suddenly in the spotlight for their potential health risks. Vioxx was pulled from the market this fall, and its sister drug Celebrex, the blockbuster arthritis drug, was linked to heart attacks...

New research suggests that regular ibuprofen use may cut a woman's risk of developing breast cancer in half. Findings reported July 13 at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research in Washington, D.C., indicate that using ibuprofen – a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) – on a regular basis for more than 10 years may decrease a woman's chance by nearly 50 percent that she will develop breast cancer. Using aspirin – another NSAID – reduced breast cancer risk by about 22 percent, said Randall Harris, the study's lead author and the co-director of the Center of Molecular...

Source: Ohio State University Date: 2003-07-16 Ibuprofen, Aspirin May Reduce Woman's Risk Of Developing Breast Cancer COLUMBUS, Ohio – New research suggests that regular ibuprofen use may cut a woman's risk of developing breast cancer in half. Findings reported July 13 at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research in Washington, D.C., indicate that using ibuprofen – a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) – on a regular basis for more than 10 years may decrease a woman's chance by nearly 50 percent that she will develop breast cancer. Using aspirin – another NSAID – reduced breast cancer risk...