Aspirin May Be Helpful Beyond Heart Attacks?

Hey there Guys,

Today I wanted to share some research showing that one of our oldest drugs, aspirin, may be useful for even more then preventing heart attacks.

Currently if you have suffered or have a moderate risk of having a heart attack low dose aspirin is usually recommended. Its rational is that aspirin helps prevent clots developing that can block arteries leading to heart attacks.

It’s important to note that the reason all people are not recommended aspirin is that there is a in risk bleeding, in particular from the stomach, so with the risks and benefits weighed out it is not a routine recommendation unless you meet a certain threshold.

This threshold may change with new evidence showing that aspirin may help reduce cancer risks. As noted by journal The Lancet, low dose aspirin may help prevent cancer. Reported in Medical News Today:

[wpse_b_box_solid width=”87%” style=”blue_light” shadow=”yes”]… for people in middle age, taking a low dose of aspirin every day can help prevent cancer, particularly if they are at increased risk of the disease.

… they also found aspirin can treat cancer in people who already have it, adding to evidence that it reduces the risk of metastasis, or spread to other parts of the body.

Rothwell and colleagues pooled data from 51 randomized clinical trials that set out to compare the effect of taking a daily dose of aspirin against not taking any aspirin on cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke. These trials had also collected data on cancer.

From the results they established that aspirin reduced the risk of cancer death by 15%, and this reduction increased with prolonged use. For instance, for those who took it for 5 years or more, the reduced risk of death from cancer was 37%.

Rothwell and colleagues also found that taking a low dose of aspirin every day did more than reduce deaths from cancer: it reduced incidence. After three years of aspirin use, the reduction in cancer incidence was 23% in men and 25% in women.[/wpse_b_box_solid]

This research is both interesting and exciting with aspirin being a cheap and easy intervention that may help not only reduce the rates of cardiac death but cancer as well.

From this research it would suggest if you have any risks for heart disease, cancers or have immediate family members living having had cancers of which you may be a risk of developing, aspirin could be useful.

I recommend keeping an eye on this research and for the moment I suggest talking with your doctor to see if daily aspirin may be a useful  addition for you.

Yours in good health.

Dr George