The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that $61.2 billion a year is spent on drugs that offer pain relief. Now scientists have discovered that popular nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)such as aspirin and ibuprofenmay reduce blood levels of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) marker doctors use to detect abnormal prostate cells.
This finding suggests that regular use of over-the-counter painkillers could reduce your chances of receiving an accurate diagnosis of prostate cancer risk!
Chronic inflammation has been linked to different forms of abnormal cell growth, including prostate cancer. Many doctors recognize a vitamin D deficiency can cause inflammation throughout your body.
For the new study, researchers led by Eric A. Singer, M.D., at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, examined PSA levels of 1,319 American menall over 40 years of agewho used NSAIDs and acetaminophen.
The researchers found that men who used NSAIDs regularly had PSA levels about 10 percent lower than men who did not use these drugs. The research group said this finding suggests that regular NSAID consumption may reduce serum PSA levels. But they remain unsure how this could impact the development of prostate cancer.
Given the widespread consumption of NSAIDs and the regular use of PSA for the assessment of prostate cancer risk, the potential implications of our findings may be substantial and warrant further investigation, the report states.
Study results were published in the American Cancer Society journal Cancer.