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According to new research, individuals wanting to lose weight or tone up should avoid Ibuprofen.

Any muscle gain from lifting weights in the gym might be slowed down by using inexpensive painkillers regularly.

Swedish researchers discovered that the medications, among the most used worldwide, obstruct muscle repair, preventing muscles from growing larger after exercise.

The ‘exciting’ findings were the idea of Dr Tommy Lundberg, who is employed at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.

According to his findings, young people who lift weights to build muscle should refrain from taking anti-inflammatory medications regularly.

“The findings are very intriguing because anti-inflammatory drug use is so commonplace worldwide, not to mention among professional athletes.”

How was the research conducted? Researchers divided the volunteers, who ranged in age from 18 to 35, into two groups at random for the study.

For eight weeks, one group received a high dose of Ibuprofen and the other a lower amount of aspirin daily.

During this time, the volunteers also engaged in supervised weight-training routines tailored to their thighs. Next, the researchers took measurements of several factors, such as anti-inflammatory markers, muscular growth, and strength.

What was discovered? 

After eight weeks, it was shown that the low-dose aspirin group had twice as much of an increase in muscle volume.

High doses of anti-inflammatory medicines also reduced muscle strength, though not as much.

According to the researchers ‘ analysis of muscle biopsies, the ibuprofen group showed inhibition of conventional indicators for inflammation. 

Not just Ibuprofen

The researchers stated in their journal article published in Acta Physiologica that it is doubtful that the effects are limited to Ibuprofen alone.

“We chose to look at the effect of ibuprofen because it is the most well-studied anti-inflammatory drug on the market,” continued Dr. Lundberg.

However, we think that the effects of high dosages of all kinds of over-the-counter NSAIDs are comparable.

The latest research, following a study conducted in June, proposed regular exercise and weightlifting could guard against dementia.

According to the Finnish study, older persons’ improved cognitive performance was associated with lower and upper body strength. 

Article originally published by Mailonline