Exercise Scientist Warns That Overuse of this Everyday Medication Can Cause Kidney Damage
We've all been there, you have a heavy training session resulting in a few aches and niggles and reach for the Ibuprofen to ease some of the discomfort. And while it may be the simplest way to ward off workout related woes, the everyday medication comes with its risks according to exercise scientist, Dr Mike Israetel PhD.
In an Instagram reel, Israetel critiques Alan Ritchson's diet and training routine, and in the process, comments on the actor's negative experience taking ibuprofen or NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) during a heavy training phase. Israetel warns, 'Probably the number of people who have done acute damage to their bodies in medically relevant ways from Ibuprofen is on par for that with anabolic steroids'
In the video Israetel is critiquing, Ritchson shares, 'I thought that would kind of be a magic bullet if I got strict and had a nutritionist and it still didn't help the issues I was facing, which was due to a medicine I was taking, an NSAID.'
Israetel interjects, 'Holy fuck. Big, big problem. People with very physically demanding roles, they get into some joint connective tissue pain, they take non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, NSAIDs, Advil like that — Ibuprofen as you know it around the world. And higher doses of these for long durations, anything over 600 mg for anything over like a week can in many cases do some gnarly debit carding to your kidneys, and it's not good for a variety of other shit.'
He continues to explain, 'Just because you can buy Advil over the counter and just gulp it down and we feel better for six hours, doesn't mean it's something you should be doing multiple times a day every day for a long time. People do that and they sometimes get into real serious trouble.'
This stark warning is supported by evidence. In a review published in Pharmacology Research and Perspectives, it notes that NSAIDs like Ibuprofen at higher doses, particularly doses exceeding 1200 mg per day can cause kidney damage through mechanisms that interfere with normal kidney function.
If you are in doubt about your ibuprofen dosage for pain management, it's important to be mindful and speak to your healthcare professional for additional support.
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