Popping an aspirin pill a day WON’T keep the doctor away: Study finds ‘wonder pill’ doesn’t lower heart attack and stroke risks, and can increase bleeding
- Taking an aspirin pill a day doesn’t prolong a health and dementia-free life
- Those who didn’t take aspirin were more likely to live longer, new study reveals
- Group taking aspirin had increased risk of death compared to the placebo group
Popping an aspirin pill everyday doesn’t help older people to live longer and it may even have the opposite effect, a new study reveals.
Researchers found that a daily dose of the so-called ‘wonder pill’ didn’t prolong healthy life free of dementia.
The clinical trial followed thousands of healthy older people, who hadn’t previously suffered a stroke or heart attack, who took a daily low-dose of aspirin.
Those that took aspirin were also at ‘significantly ‘ increased risk of bleeding, primarily in the gastrointestinal tract and brain, it was revealed.
Taking one aspirin a day does not lead to a longer life, a new study has revealed
The study, involving 19,114 older people – 16,703 in Australia and 2,411 in the United States – began in 2010 and enrolled participants aged 70 and older.
-
Nurofen in trouble again: Popular drug under fire for…
Migraine sufferers cardiac risk: People who regularly endure…
Share this article
The participants were followed for around 4.7 years and could also not have dementia or a physical disability and had to be free of medical conditions.
Dr Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Ageing (NIA) in the US, said: ‘Clinical guidelines note the benefits of aspirin for preventing heart attacks and strokes in persons with vascular conditions such as coronary artery disease.
‘The concern has been uncertainty about whether aspirin is beneficial for otherwise healthy older people without those conditions.
‘This study shows why it is so important to conduct this type of research, so that we can gain a fuller picture of aspirin’s benefits and risks among healthy older persons.’
The clinical trial followed thousands of healthy older people, who hadn’t previously suffered a stroke or heart attack, who took a daily low-dose of aspirin
Among the people randomly assigned to take aspirin, 90.3 per cent remained alive at the end of the treatment without persistent physical disability or dementia, compared with 90.5 per cent of those taking a placebo.
The group taking aspirin had an increased risk of death compared to the placebo group- 5.9 per cent of participants taking aspirin and 5.2 per cent taking placebo died during the study.
The researchers said that has not been noted in previous studies and caution is needed in interpreting the finding.
A small increase in new cancer cases was reported in the group taking aspirin, but the research team said the difference could have been due to chance.
Significant bleeding – a known risk of regular aspirin use – was also measured.
The researchers noted that aspirin was associated with a significantly increased risk of bleeding, primarily in the gastrointestinal tract and brain.
Clinically significant bleeding – hemorrhagic stroke, bleeding in the brain, gastrointestinal hemorrhages or other hemorrhages that required transfusion or hospitalisation – occurred in 3.8 per cent on aspirin and in 2.7 per cent taking the placebo.
As would be expected in older people, cancer was a common cause of death, and 50 per cent of those who died in the trial had some type of cancer.
Heart disease and stroke accounted for 19 per cent of the deaths and major bleeding for five per cent.
Doctor Leslie Ford, associate director for clinical research, at the National Cancer Institute in the US, said: ‘The increase in cancer deaths in study participants in the aspirin group was surprising, given prior studies suggesting aspirin use improved cancer outcomes.
‘Analysis of all the cancer-related data from the trial is under way and until we have additional data, these findings should be interpreted with caution.’
Doctor Evan Hadley, of the NIA, added: ‘Continuing follow-up of the ASPREE participants is crucial, particularly since longer term effects on risks for outcomes such as cancer and dementia may differ from those during the study to date.
‘These initial findings will help to clarify the role of aspirin in disease prevention for older adults, but much more needs to be learned.
Source: Read Full Article