新奇事件簿 非处方药或导致大脑萎缩（在线收听）

Over-the-counter (OTC) medicine is a common part of our lives. Many of us pop into the local pharmacy for cold and headache tablets, cough syrups or allergy treatments. Over-the-counter drugs save the need to go to the doctor's. However, we may be causing ourselves more harm than good with these convenient cures. A new study published in the journal JAMA Neurology suggests that many of these handy medicines have unwanted, and sometimes serious, side effects. Researchers say that such side effects in older adults who often take widely available OTC medicines for asthma, aches and pains, insomnia and allergies, etc. include cognitive impairment, dementia and even brain shrinkage.

非处方药早已成为生活的一部分。发烧感冒，头疼脑热，咳嗽过敏，我们会选择当地药店买药。有了非处方药，省去了人们的看病需求。然而，这些药物却对身体造成了极大伤害。据《JAMA 神经病学》杂志最新研究表明，许多非处方药本不需要，且副作用大。对于经常服用哮喘，止疼药的老年病患者而言，其副作用包括认知功能障碍，痴呆甚至大脑萎缩。

The study was conducted by the Indiana University School of Medicine. Researchers examined the link between OTC medications and cognition in "cognitively normal" older people who did not have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. The scientists found that OTC drugs led to a lower glucose metabolism, which is crucial for the brain to be healthy and function properly. Dr. Shannon Risacher said: "These findings provide us with a much better understanding of how this class of drugs may act upon the brain in ways that might raise the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia." She added: "I certainly wouldn't advise my grandparents or even my parents to take these medications unless they have to."

这是印第安纳大学医学院进行的研究。研究人员对非处方药，以及认知功能正常的老年人（无阿尔茨海默病或痴呆症）进行了比对。据科学家发现，非处方药导致葡萄糖代谢减慢，而葡萄糖代谢对于大脑健康极为重要。莎伦·费舍尔博士认为：“通过这一发现，我们对非处方药以及大脑之间的关系有了更加深入的认识，患认知功能障碍以及患痴呆症风险增加。”她补充道：“除非吃不可，我一定不建议祖父母，甚至是父母服用这些药物。”