Ibuprofen gives longer life to some species
A new study has shown that Ibuprofen increases the lifespan of several species in the lab, and scientists are now trying to figure out if it has the same effect on humans.
It’s a common pain-killer that those of us with persistent aches and pains can’t live without, and now Ibuprofen has been shown to have longevity-raising benefits in lab animals.
The reason behind Ibuprofen’s life-lengthing effect - in flies and worms, at least - seems to lie in its role as an anti-inflammatory drug. Inflammation underlies a great many age-related diseases, and may actually contribute to the process of ageing itself. "In addition "people who take ibuprofen for a long time have a lower risk of developing age-related illnesses.
To investigate this further, over three years, a team led by biochemist Michael Polymenis from the Texas A&M University in the US fed Ibuprofen to yeast, nematode worms and fruit flies, which was roughly equal to the dosage a human would take to quell a painful headache or joint pain.
According the study, which was published in the journal PLOS Genetics, this treatment added 17 percent more to the lives of their yeast, which equates to over 10 years added to a person’s life. Both the worms and the flies gained an extra 10 percent on their lifespans.
A new study has shown that Ibuprofen increases the lifespan of several species in the lab, and scientists are now trying to figure out if it has the same effect on humans.
It’s a common pain-killer that those of us with persistent aches and pains can’t live without, and now Ibuprofen has been shown to have longevity-raising benefits in lab animals.
The reason behind Ibuprofen’s life-lengthing effect - in flies and worms, at least - seems to lie in its role as an anti-inflammatory drug. Inflammation underlies a great many age-related diseases, and may actually contribute to the process of ageing itself. "In addition "people who take ibuprofen for a long time have a lower risk of developing age-related illnesses.
To investigate this further, over three years, a team led by biochemist Michael Polymenis from the Texas A&M University in the US fed Ibuprofen to yeast, nematode worms and fruit flies, which was roughly equal to the dosage a human would take to quell a painful headache or joint pain.
According the study, which was published in the journal PLOS Genetics, this treatment added 17 percent more to the lives of their yeast, which equates to over 10 years added to a person’s life. Both the worms and the flies gained an extra 10 percent on their lifespans.
“These organisms not only lived longer, but also appeared healthy.
So what’s going on here? In people, Ibuprofen works by blocking off the production of cyclooxygenase enzymes, which are responsible for the inflammatory response of the body to certain disorders. But Polymenis’ lab animals don’t have these enzymes, instead Ibuprofen seems to slightly decrease their levels of the amino acid tryptophan by about 15 to 20 percent. Tryptophan is found in all living cells, and humans keep their tryptophan levels up by eating protein.
According to Leslie at Science Magazine, Iburofen also appears to destroy a protein in the body of the lab animals that allows their cells to absorb tryptophan. It seems that the stress of slightly depleting tryptophan levels might be conducive to a longer life span.
"Numerous studies have found that instead of killing organisms, moderate amounts of stress - such as intermediate doses of radiation or toxic chemicals - actually increase life span.
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.”
The team is careful to point out that it’s far too soon to start self-prescribing regular Ibuprofen doses in an effort to make it to 100, as what applies to yeast certainly doesn’t necessarily apply to humans. It will likely be many years before we know anything definitive about whether or not humans enjoy the same life-lengthening effects, but it’s certainly an intriguing development..
