New Study Says Daily Aspirin May Not Be Good

The problem is the fact that aspirin, which thins your blood and prevents clotting, thus helping stop atherosclerosis, increase the risk of bleeding. Researchers said the risks are increased to thepoint that routing use of aspirin in healthy people "cannot be supported." They agreed that aspirin still had its use in patients with a history of heart or circulatory problems.

The study involved 3,350 men and women aged 50 to 75 years. These patients had no history of cardiovascular disease, but tests revealed may have a condition where the arteries in their legs were "furred up." They were given either a daily 100 mg dose of aspirin or a placebo and monitored over eight years.

In fact, researchers found there was no difference in the number of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events suffered. Instead, major bleeding occurred in two percent of the aspirin group compared to just 1.2 percent of the placebo group.

Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation which helped fund the research, said:

"We know that patients with symptoms of artery disease, such as angina, heart attack or stroke, can reduce their risk of further problems by taking a small dose of aspirin each day. The findings of this study agree with our current advice that people who do not have symptomatic or diagnosed artery or heart disease should not take aspirin, because the risks of bleeding may outweigh the benefits."