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Researchers have found a very strange effect on this common drug - Walla! health

2021-05-07T03:28:59.659Z


Many adults take aspirin daily to treat heart disease and blood clots. New research reveals that the common pill may also prevent air pollution damage to the brain


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Researchers have found a very strange effect for this common drug

Many adults take aspirin daily to treat heart disease and blood clots.

New research reveals that the common pill may also prevent the damage of air pollution to the brains of adults

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  • aspirin

  • Air Pollution

  • Medication

Walla!

health

Thursday, 06 May 2021, 06:46 Updated: 06:57

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Can prevent air pollution damage to the brain?

Aspirin (Photo: ShutterStock)

In recent years more and more deaths have been linked to air pollution, and according to estimates by the World Health Organization air pollution is responsible for 1 in 8 deaths and is now considered the biggest environmental threat to human health.

A new and surprising study has found that older men taking anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, may be protected from some of the short-term effects of air pollution on the brain.



The study, conducted among nearly a thousand white men in the Boston area, found that even low inhalation of fine particles and carbon can cause poor cognitive function in the short term.

Although the researchers found no direct link between aspirin and its effect on brain function, they found that those in the study group who took nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) scored significantly higher on tests that measured memory, concentration and ability to follow instructions.

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"Our study suggests that exposure to short-term air pollution may be related to short-term changes in cognitive function and that NSAIDs may alter this relationship," conclude the study authors, published in the journal Nature Aging.

The team estimates that the connection stems from the way aspirin curbs inflammation in the brain, which can become chronic if air pollution is severe enough.

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But this is only a hypothesis for now and researchers still do not really know what the effects of short-term air pollution are on our brains, so scientists will need to conduct further clinical trials among larger groups to understand whether non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or even Advil, can really moderate The severe effects of air pollution.

An old and common remedy.

Aspirin (Photo: ShutterStock)

Aspirin is a very old drug, and without a doubt one of the most common drugs in terms of use among the adult population over the age of 50. It is a drug originally developed for lowering fever and use against inflammation, but later also discovered its ability to inhibit platelet adhesion to each other and thus prevent blood clots .

Because blood clots can cause heart attacks and ischemic (obstructive) strokes, aspirin is very important for the protection of the heart and blood vessels.



Aspirin treatment is given to people with known cardiovascular disease, or as primary prevention in people who are at risk but have not yet developed a clinical disease.

"Strange effect"

The present study found that in tests following exposure to low levels of air pollution (relative to the rest of the study), those who did not take NSAIDs in the study were 128 percent more likely to get a low score on a common dementia screening test. Those who took NSAIDs were only 44 percent more likely to get a low score in that time period.



"Our findings do not yet suggest that all older people should use anti-inflammatory drugs, as these are side-effect drugs that we cannot alleviate," said Andrea Bacarley, an environmental health expert. Still, the authors hope that further research on this bizarre effect could help in understanding how air pollution affects our brains and what can best be done about it.



Previous studies have found that long-term air pollution can lead to a reduction in brain volume, causing damage similar to Alzheimer's disease and the development of dementia - but this is one of the first studies to examine the immediate effects of inhaling polluted air and how it appears to have far-reaching effects.

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Source: walla

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