Ibuprofen is a common medicine that many people take to relieve pain or reduce fever. It’s easy to buy in stores and is often used without much thought.
But a new study from the University of California Davis shows that ibuprofen may affect the liver more than we thought. Even more surprising, the drug seems to affect men and women in different ways.
Ibuprofen belongs to a group of drugs called NSAIDs, which stands for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These medicines are used to treat things like headaches, sore muscles, arthritis, and fevers. While doctors already know that NSAIDs can raise the risk of heart problems and strokes, we didn’t know as much about how they affect the liver.
In this study, researchers gave mice a dose of ibuprofen that was similar to what a human might take—around 400 milligrams a day—for one week. Then, they studied the mice’s liver cells in detail.
They found big changes in how the liver worked. In male mice, at least 34 important systems in the liver were affected by the drug. These systems help the liver manage amino acids, vitamins, and hormones.
The drug also increased the amount of hydrogen peroxide in the cells. This substance can damage proteins and make the liver work harder, which can lead to problems.
One of the most interesting parts of the study was that ibuprofen affected males and females differently. In fact, some of the effects were the exact opposite. For example, a part of the cell called the proteasome, which removes unwanted proteins, reacted differently in male and female mice.
This means that the same drug may work in very different ways depending on whether the person taking it is male or female.
The study also found that ibuprofen could change how long other drugs stay in the body. This was especially true for male mice. If other medicines stay in the body longer than they should, it could lead to side effects or other problems.
The researchers suggest we should be more careful when using ibuprofen, especially for minor pain that might go away on its own. They also say that doctors and scientists should pay more attention to how drugs affect men and women differently.
There are also other ways to manage pain. Some studies say that drinking water with electrolytes can help reduce muscle pain. People should also be aware that over-the-counter pain and fever drugs might make illnesses like COVID-19 worse in some cases.
This research was led by Professor Aldrin Gomes and published in the journal Scientific Reports. It reminds us that just because a drug is easy to buy doesn’t mean it’s always safe. Ibuprofen works well for pain and fever, but we should be aware of the risks—especially when it comes to the liver.
As scientists continue to study these effects, it’s becoming clear that medicine should not follow a one-size-fits-all approach. Personalized treatment may be the best way to stay safe and healthy.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about simple habit that could give you a healthy liver, and common diabetes drug that may reverse liver inflammation.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about simple blood test that could detect your risk of fatty liver disease, and results showing this green diet may strongly lower non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
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