Taking ibuprofen every day could extend your life by up to 12 YEARS

Stay young? Ibuprofen could halt ageing, a new US study suggests

A painkiller taken by millions of Brits can stop ageing, research reveals.

Ibuprofen extended the lives of worms and flies by the equivalent of about 12 years in human terms.

Scientists believe the discovery could have major implications for humans.

Lead researcher Prof Michael Polymenis, of Texas A&M University in the US, said: “We are not sure why this works but it is worth exploring further.

“This study was a proof of principle, to show that common, relatively safe drugs in humans can extend the lifespan of very diverse organisms.

“Therefore, it should be possible to find others like ibuprofen with even better ability to extend lifespan, with the aim of adding healthy years of life in people.”

Ibuprofen, like aspirin, is an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat pain and fever.

It was developed by the Boots company in the 1960s and became available over-the-counter around the world in the 1980s.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) includes the drug on its list of “essential medications” needed in every basic health system.

Although considered relatively safe, high doses can produce harmful side effects that can affect your liver.

Scientists found ibuprofen interfered with the ability of yeast cells to pick up tryptophan, an amino acid protein building block found in every organism.

Tryptophan is an essential nutrient obtained in the diet from protein.

It is not known why blocking tryptophan might affect ageing.

Fellow researchers Dr Brian Kennedy said: “There is a lot to be excited about. Not only did all the species live longer, but the treated flies and worms appeared more healthy.

“The research shows that ibuprofen impacts a process not yet implicated in ageing, giving us a new way to study and understand the ageing process.

“We think that by understanding those processes, we can intervene and find ways to extend human health span, keeping people healthier longer and slowing down ageing. That’s our ultimate goal.”

Dr David Clancy, lecturer in genetics and the biology of ageing at Lancaster University, said: "The question is whether this finding might be relevant to lifespan in humans.

"If the lifespan extension was dependent upon early growth or developmental effects, it is unlikely to be useful in humans. Otherwise, it might possibly provide benefits.

"There should already be data from other observational studies in humans that will give a strong indication about whether there is an association in people.

"Ideally, a randomised control trial would give a more robust answer, but due to the need to follow the experiment through the human lifespan this would take too much time."

The findings are published in the Public Library of Science journal Genetics.