Regularly taking over-the-counter pain medications such as Aspirin or Advil could lower your chances of developing Parkinson's, a new study suggests.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by tremors, stiffness, poor balance and muscle rigidity.

Aspirin-NSAID use offered protection predominantly to women, with female participants reducing their risk of developing the disease by 40 per cent.
(CBC)

According to the authors of the study published in the Nov. 6 issue of Neurology, indications of neuroinflammation can be found in the brains of Parkinson's patients, which impairs the functioning of nerve cells and may contribute to cell death.

The researchers wanted to find out if nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) would be effective in staving off or preventing the onset of Parkinson's.

In the study, 579 men and women were asked between January 2001 and May 2006 whether they had taken at least two pills of aspirin or non-aspirin NSAIDs a week for at least a month at some point. The participants were from three counties in California.

Among those studied, 293 had Parkinson's and 286 did not.

Those who took two or more pills a week were considered regular users of the drugs, while people who took less were considered non-regular users.

Those people who were regular users of non-aspirin NSAIDs reduced their chances of developing Parkinson's by 60 per cent. However, aspirin use offered protection predominantly to women, with female participants reducing their risk of developing the disease by 40 per cent.

Aspirin-containing medications taken by the study's participants included Anacin, Bufferin, Bayer, Excedrin and non-aspirin NSAIDS included Motrin, Nuprin, Advil, Indocin, Naprosyn, Medipren, Ibuprofen and other drugs. NSAIDs reduce pain and inflammation in the body.

"Our findings suggest NSAIDs are protective against Parkinson's disease, with a particularly strong protective effect among regular users of non-aspirin NSAIDs, especially those who reported two or more years of use," said Angelika Wahner, the study's author and a researcher with the UCLA School of Public Health in Los Angeles, in a release.

"Interestingly, aspirin only benefited women. It may be that men are taking lower doses of aspirin for heart problems, while women may be using higher doses for arthritis or headaches."

Researchers theorize that NSAIDs stave off the onset of the disease by reducing the destructive inflammatory enzymes that destroy the functioning of neurons in the brain.