Ibuprofen or acetaminophen in long-term resistance training increases muscle mass/strength

But that study looked at only one day. Over three months, says Dr. Trappe, the chronic consumption of ibuprofen or acetaminophen during resistance training appears to have induced intramuscular changes that enhance the metabolic response to resistance exercise, allowing the body to add substantially more new protein to muscle.

The amount of change was measured in quadricep muscles using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), the gold standard for determining muscle mass. The researchers now are conducting assays of muscle biopsies taken before and after the three-month period of resistance training, in order to understand the metabolic mechanism of the positive effects of ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

One of the foci of Ball State’s Human Performance Laboratory is the adaptation of the elderly to exercise. Another is the loss of muscle mass that takes place when astronauts are exposed to long-term weightlessness. This work has implications for both groups, says Dr. Trappe.

In addition to Dr. Carroll and Dr. Trappe, co-authors of the Experimental Biology presentation are Jared Dickinson, Jennifer Lemoine, Jacob Haus, and Eileen Weinheimer, graduate students working with Dr. Trappe, and study physician Dr. Christopher Hollon.

Funding for the research came from the National Institutes of Health and a postdoctoral initiative award from APS.