Contributed by: Asha Gupta <asharaj53 @ gmail.com>
Aspirin, that old standard in everyone's medicine chest, can really
pack a wallop. So much so that the American Heart Association has long
recommended aspirin therapy for people who've had a heart attack,
stroke caused by blood clot, unstable angina, or "ministrokes." The
AHA also notes that even people who have not experienced such an event
but who are at increased risk because of family history, say, may also
stand to gain from aspirin therapy.
We're certainly familiar with our aspirin: About 60 percent of people
ages 65 and older pop aspirin at least once a week. But this cheap,
over-the-counter pill is not benign, and regular use should be
discussed with a doctor. And beware marketing claims. Bayer was sent
warning letters by the Food and Drug Administration today for touting
two products—Bayer Women's Low Dose Aspirin + Calcium (Bayer Women's)
and Bayer Aspirin with Heart Advantage (Bayer Heart Advantage)—for
making unproved health claims.
Along with its benefits, aspirin has limitations, too. A roundup of
recent research suggests taking aspirin regularly may do the
following:
1) Cut pre-eclampsia risk during pregnancy. A research review
published in The Lancet in 2007 suggests that pregnant women who took
aspirin or other antiplatelet drugs were 10 percent less likely to
develop the disorder that involves high blood pressure and potentially
serious complications for mother and fetus. Aspirin therapy during
pregnancy should definitely be discussed with an obstetrician.
2) Reduce risk of developing colorectal cancers. The journal
Gastroenterology published a study earlier this year that found a
significantly lowered risk of developing the cancers in men with
regular, long-term aspirin (and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory)
use. The benefits, however, were not evident until individuals had
amassed a total of five consistent years of regular use. Also, the
dose with the biggest benefit—325-mg pills more than 14 times each
week—is greater than typically recommended.
3) Lower a woman's risk of breast cancer. A research review published
this month in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found a 13
percent relative risk reduction in women who used aspirin regularly
compared with those who did not. The findings found an overall reduced
risk of 12 percent for regular use of NSAIDs in general. Previous
research on breast cancer risk and NSAID use has shown conflicting
results.
4) Throw off test results for prostate cancer. In an issue of this
month's journal Cancer, researchers reported that men who used aspirin
and other NSAIDs regularly had about 10 percent lower levels of the
prostate marker prostate-specific antigen. The researchers suggest
this may hinder the detection of prostate cancer in regular users.
5) Offer some protection against Alzheimer's disease. Research has
been inconclusive, but a review published this year in the journal
Neurology found people who used aspirin had a 13 percent lower risk of
developing Alzheimer's. The study added to an ongoing debate about
whether certain types of NSAIDs, say ibuprofen vs. aspirin, were more
beneficial.
6) Help prevent strokes—unless you also take ibuprofen. A small study
published this year in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that
stroke patients taking daily aspirin to prevent another stroke who
also took ibuprofen—say, for their arthritis—reaped no antiplatelet
benefit. After the patient stopped the ibuprofen, the aspirin became
effective. The Food and Drug Administration warns that aspirin's
benefits may be diminished by ibuprofen use.
7) Prevent asthma in middle-aged women. A study published in the
journal Thorax this year found that women 45 and older who took 100 mg
of aspirin every other day were 10 percent less likely to develop
asthma over the next decade than women given a placebo. The study
authors note that aspirin could exacerbate symptoms in about 10
percent of people already diagnosed with asthma.
8) Protect against Parkinson's disease. A 2007 study published in
Neurology suggests that women who used aspirin regularly (defined as
two or more a week for at least a month at any point in their life)
may be 40 percent less likely to develop the disease.
9) Provide zero protection against heart attacks in people with
diabetes. This month, the British Medical Journal published research
that suggests diabetics taking aspirin to prevent a first heart attack
were no less likely to experience an attack than those taking a
placebo. People with diabetes are at least twice as likely to develop
heart disease or have a stroke as the general public.
10) Offer no protection to some sufferers of heart attack or stroke. A
research review published in the British Medical Journal in January
found that nearly 30 percent of people with cardiovascular disease who
took prescribed aspirin were resistant to its effects. Such "aspirin
resistance," the study found, makes such patients four times as likely
as those for whom aspirin had an effect to have a heart attack,
stroke, or die.
11) Cause stomach troubles. People taking aspirin or another NSAID are
at higher risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and stomach
ulcers—particularly with long-term use of the drug.
published in the journal BMC Medicine found that earlier studies
showed a large benefit in men taking aspirin to reduce the rates of
fatal heart attack, but women did not reap the same benefit.
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