A daily regimen of non-prescription NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen can prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s, according to two new studies published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, characterized clinically by progressive memory loss, cognitive decline, and aberrant behavior. In Alzheimer’s, changes in tau protein lead to the disintegration of microtubules in brain cells. Image credit: Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center / National Institute on Aging.
In 2016, a research team led by Dr. Patrick McGeer, who is President and CEO of Vancouver-based Aurin Biotech, and his wife, Dr. Edith McGeer, announced that they had developed a simple saliva test that can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, as well as predict its future onset.
The test is based on measuring the concentration of the peptide amyloid beta protein 42 (Abeta 42) secreted in saliva.
In most individuals, the rate of Abeta 42 production is almost exactly the same regardless of sex or age.
However, if that rate of production is two to three times higher, those individuals are destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease. That is because Abeta42 is a relatively insoluble material, and although it is made everywhere in the body, deposits of it occur only in the brain, causing neuroinflammation, which destroys neurons in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Contrary to the widely held belief that Abeta 42 is made only in the brain, the researchers demonstrated that the peptide is made in all organs of the body and is secreted in saliva from the submandibular gland.
As a result, with as little as one teaspoon of saliva, it is possible to predict whether an individual is destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease. This gives them an opportunity to begin taking early preventive measures such as consuming NSAIDs such as ibuprofen.
“What we’ve learned through our research is that people who are at risk of developing Alzheimer’s exhibit the same elevated Abeta 42 levels as people who already have it; moreover, they exhibit those elevated levels throughout their lifetime so, theoretically, they could get tested anytime,” Dr. McGeer said.
“Knowing that the prevalence of clinical Alzheimer’s disease commences at age 65, we recommend that people get tested ten years before, at age 55, when the onset of Alzheimer’s would typically begin. If they exhibit elevated Abeta 42 levels then, that is the time to begin taking daily ibuprofen to ward off the disease.”
“Unfortunately, most clinical trials to date have focused on patients whose cognitive deficits are already mild to severe, and when the therapeutic opportunities in this late stage of the disease are minimal.”
“Consequently, every therapeutic trial has failed to arrest the disease’s progression. Our discovery is a game changer,” he said.
“We now have a simple test that can indicate if a person is fated to develop Alzheimer’s disease long before it begins to develop.”
“Individuals can prevent that from happening through a simple solution that requires no prescription or visit to a doctor.”
“This is a true breakthrough since it points in a direction where Alzheimer’s disease can eventually be eliminated.”
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Patrick L. McGeer et al. 2018. Alzheimer’s Disease Can Be Spared by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 62 (3): 1219-1222; doi: 10.3233/JAD-170706
Patrick L. McGeer & Edith McGeer. Conquering Alzheimer’s Disease by Self Treatment. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, published online March 16, 2018; doi: 10.3233/JAD-179913
