... any opinions? pls see below link (old)
http://www.caregivershome.com/news/article.cfm?UID=1581

November 13, 2007

Aspirin May Reduce Parkinson's Risk

While some widely-used pain medications known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, have become suspects in increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, researchers now think they may have a beneficial effect too, reducing a person’s risk of Parkinson’s disease.

NSAIDs are a class of anti-inflammatory drug that includes the common aspirin as well as ibuprofen (such as Motrin), naproxens (Aleve, Naprosyn), oxaprozin (Daypro), and celecoxib (Celebrex). Not all NSAIDs are sold over-the-counter, including Celebrex, which is a Cox-2 inhibitor that has been suspected as having a role with heart attack and stroke.

"Given our results and the growing burden of Parkinson’s disease as people age, there’s a pressing need for further studies explaining why these drugs may play a protective role," said study author Angelika D. Wahner, PhD, with the UCLA School of Public Health in Los Angeles. The findings are in a study published in the November 6 issue of the journal Neurology.

The study involved 579 men and women, half of whom had Parkinson’s disease. The participants were asked if they had taken aspirin and if they had taken non-aspirin NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, once a week or more at any point in their life for at least a month.

Participants were considered regular users of aspirin or non-aspirin NSAIDs if they took two or more pills a week for at least one month. Non-regular users were those who took fewer pills.

The study found regular users of non-aspirin NSAIDs reduced their risk of Parkinson’s disease by as much as 60% compared to non-regular users and non-users. Women who were regular users of aspirin reduced their risk of Parkinson’s disease by 40%, especially among those who regularly used aspirin for more than two years.

"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 Wahner. "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."

"It’s possible the anti-inflammatory agent in NSAIDs may contribute to the observed protective effect of the drugs, but the exact mechanism isn’t clear and further research is needed," said the study’s principal investigator Dr. Beate Ritz, with UCLA School of Public Health.

The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the American Parkinson Disease Association.

(Article courtesy of ConsumerAffairs.com)