Regular ibuprofen users may reduce their risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a neurological disease that usually develops later in life and is marked by tremors and impaired balance, according to a study that will be presented at the National Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in Toronto and was reported by Medical News Today.

“Ibuprofen was the only NSAID [non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug] linked to a lower risk of Parkinson’s,” said Xiang Gao, MD, of Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. “Other NSAIDs and analgesics, including aspirin and acetaminophen, did not appear to have any effect on lowering a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s.”

NSAIDs are commonly used to reduce pain, swelling and fever.

For the study, researchers surveyed 136,474 people without Parkinson’s disease about their use of NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, aspirin and acetaminophen.

The study found regular ibuprofen users reduced Parkinson’s development by 40 percent. In addition, researchers discovered that people who took higher amounts of the drug were less likely to develop the condition than people who took smaller amounts.

But don’t start popping ibuprofen like Tic Tacs. Gao said that more research is needed to determine how and why ibuprofen effectively reduces Parkinson’s disease risk.

Former champion boxer Muhammad Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 42.  

Click here to read about an antioxidant that could slow Parkinson’s disease nerve damage.