An Aspirin a Day

Everyone over 50 should take a mini-aspirin daily to reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes, a leading researcher said yesterday.

While strokes and heart attacks could be reduced by about a third, a low-dose aspirin a day may also help to protect against cancer and Alzheimer's disease, a conference heard.

Prof Peter Elwood of the College of Medicine, Cardiff University, and a pioneer of studies on aspirin and cardiovascular disease 30 years ago, said: "We feel the time is now right for this debate.

"People should be given the evidence of the benefits and risks so that they can decide what they want to do."

Dr Antony Bayer, the director of the Memory Team and senior research fellow in geriatric medicine at Cardiff, said 80 per cent of North American specialists thought aspirin should be given to patients with dementia and cardiovascular risk factors.

"Other evidence suggests a protective effect of aspirin against Alzheimer's disease," he said.

Prof Elwood, speaking at a London conference organised by the Aspirin Foundation, said a study had indicated that only 53 per cent of patients who suffered strokes or heart disease and who should have been taking aspirin to prevent further attacks were doing so.

A research paper calling for a debate on the use of aspirin in older people has been accepted for publication by the British Medical Journal.

But the subject is contentious as aspirin also raises the risk of bleeding. Stomach bleeding can be a serious problem requiring transfusions, and can be fatal.

Numerous research studies have found low-dose aspirin - normally 75mg a day - reduces the risk of heart attacks by about 30 per cent. There is similar evidence for strokes and emerging evidence for cancer.

One study found a 28 per cent reduction in the risk of breast cancer among women who routinely took aspirin once a day as a painkiller.

From the Telegraph.

You don't suppose that Dr. Bayer is anything more than a coincidence?