The Peril's Of Vitamin I

Gretchen Reynold's is fast becoming one of the Nerd's favorite writers. Her columns at the New York Times have lately been exploring the forefront of fitness and nutrition. Some, like this one, could turn conventional wisdom on its head.

Phys Ed: Does Ibuprofen Help or Hurt During Exercise?

The article throws a wrench into the long held idea that taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers (or NSAIDs, which include ibuprofen) reduces inflammation and the damage that it causes. In fact, in a fairly convincing study done on ultramarathoners, it actually made them worse.

The painkillers also blunt the body’s response to exercise at a deeper level. Normally, the stresses of exercise activate a particular molecular pathway that increases collagen, and leads, eventually, to creating denser bones and stronger tissues. If “you’re taking ibuprofen before every workout, you lessen this training response,” Warden says. Your bones don’t thicken and your tissues don’t strengthen as they should. They may be less able to withstand the next workout. In essence, the pills athletes take to reduce the chances that they’ll feel sore may increase the odds that they’ll wind up injured — and sore.

NSAIDs have been a cornerstone of recovery, injury prevention, and training for so many athletes it's often referred to as vitamin I. So you can bet I'll be delving a little deeper into this subject. I'll post my finders either here on at The Straight Dope.