What the scientists are saying…

In high doses, common painkillers such as ibuprofen can raise the risk of heart disease within the first week of regular use, a new study suggests.

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Ibuprofen linked to heart attacks

In high doses, common painkillers such as ibuprofen can raise the risk of heart disease within the first week of regular use, a new study suggests. An international team of researchers examined health data from 446,763 people, of whom 61,460 had suffered a heart attack. They found that the risk of having a heart attack was 20% to 50% higher if the patient was taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); however, it varied according to the individual drug. With ibuprofen, the increased risk associated with a month of use was about 75%, whereas for rofecoxib (now withdrawn from the market) it was more than 100%. The risk was highest in the first month of use, and at higher doses (1,200mg a day for ibuprofen). For most people, the absolute risk of having a heart attack remains very small, however, and it’s not clear how significant the findings are. The study involved patients who had been prescribed the drugs, who may not be representative of the general population – and it is not known if the pills were the cause of the extra heart attacks.

Is “dairy” harmless after all?