A regular dose of over-the-counter ibuprofen may lead to a longer, more robust life, Fox News reported on Thursday.
Researchers gave flies, worms and baker's yeast ibuprofen and saw that the medicine led to about a 15 percent longer lifespan. The dose given to the organisms was similar to the commended dose for humans, which led to results that indicated another dozen human lives tacked on with regular ibuprofen use.
"We first used baker's yeast, which is an established aging model, and noticed that the yeast treated with ibuprofen lived longer," researcher Dr. Michael Polymenis, an AgriLife Research biochemist in College Station, said in a news release. "Then we tried the same process with worms and flies, and saw the same extended lifespan. Plus, these organisms not only lived longer but also appeared healthy."
The study demonstrated that ibuprofen blocks the yeast cell's ability to absorb tryprophan, an amino acid that humans receiving from protein sources. While it's not clear what part ibuprofen plays exactly, it's worth looking into further.
"This study was a proof of principle to show that common, relatively safe drugs in humans can extend the lifespan of very diverse organisms. Therefore, it should be possible to find others like ibuprofen with even better ability to extend lifespan, with the aim of adding healthy years of life in people," said Polymenis, who is also a professor in the biochemistry and biophysics department at Texas A&M University.
Created in the 1960's, ibuprofen became widely available over the counter in the 1980's to reduce inflammation, relieve pain and reduce fever. It's usually safe, but can cause gastrointestinal and liver problems if taken in very high doses, according to the UK International Business Times.
