Aspirin Myth Busted: It Does Not Prevent Cardiovascular Disease Deaths At All

[Ponce]

Aspirin Myth Busted: It Does Not Prevent Cardiovascular Disease Deaths At All
Tuesday, May 04, 2010 by: David Gutierrez

Aspirin is unhelpful in preventing heart-related death in those "at risk" of cardiovascular disease, according to a study published in the Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB).

Doctors have long recommended that people who have survived heart attacks or strokes take an aspirin a day in order to reduce their risk of dying from another cardiovascular event. Between 2005 and 2006, however, many health professionals began to recommend the practice in people who had never suffered a cardiovascular event, but who were considered "at risk" to do so - such as those over the age of 50, those with Type 2 diabetes or those with high blood pressure.

"Current evidence for primary prevention suggests the benefits and harms of aspirin in this setting may be more finely balanced than previously thought," said DTB editor Ike Ikeanacho, "even in individuals estimated to be at high risk of experiencing cardiovascular events, including those with diabetes or elevated blood pressure."

A recent meta-analysis of six prior studies into the risks and benefits of a daily aspirin in people considered "at risk" of cardiovascular disease found that heart benefits of the treatment were minimal, and were far outweighed by the increased risk of potentially fatal gastrointestinal bleeding.

"For those who do not have heart and circulatory disease the risk of serious bleeding outweighs the potential preventative benefits of taking aspirin," agreed the British Heart Foundation. "We advise people not to take aspirin daily, unless they check with their doctor. The best way to reduce your risk of developing this disease is to avoid smoking, eat a diet low in saturated fat and rich in fruit and vegetables and take regular physical activity."

The DTB called for the revision of guidelines on daily aspirin use, and for a review of all patients currently undergoing daily aspirin treatment.

[oldmansmith]

linky?

[willie pete]

Aspirin has anti-platelet properties increasing the risks of a bleed, taking aspirin long-term I've always thought wasn't a good thing to do, but that's just me...

[UncaScrooge]

Aspirin has anti-platelet properties increasing the risks of a bleed, taking aspirin long-term I've always thought wasn't a good thing to do, but that's just me...


It's the anti-clotting aspect of aspirin use that DOES provide a benefit: it helps against the formation of blood clots. (I don't know about aspirin's usefulness in any other regard as far as heart issues).

For example, if you have atrial fibrillation, your chance of developing clots increase greatly... those clots, if broken free could travel on and result in a stroke. Sure, aspirin has this lousy reputation for increasing the chance of gastric-intestinal bleeding... gee, what a trade off, eh?

BUT... aspirin is still a LOT "safer" than coumadin (AKA warfarin: rat poison).

Personally, I think (omega-3) fish oil is a superior alternative. However, fish oil in NOT anti-clotting, but it DOES enhance the "laminar flow" of blood, Whatever... :) In the case of atrial fibrillation (just my amateur theory), improved flow would lessen the likelihood of clot formation because the platelets would be less likely to hang around to form clots. I COULD be wrong... you have been warned! ;D

One way or another, we're all going to die (reminds me of the kid in the movie "What About Bob?")

[Ifyouseekay]

-

[mamboni]

If I had any condition which necessitated "thinning" of the blood, be it A. fibrillation, stents, DVT etc. I would do it naturally before I would take warfarin or anti-platelet drugs/direct thrombin inhibitors. Bleeding is a major issue with the latter.

Mamboni blood-thinning regimen:

Vitamin E, 400 IU per day (alpha-tocopherol)
One baby aspirin per day (80 mg NOT 325 mg!)
Fish oil ad libitum


Believe it or not, some folk will develop bleeding on this regimen so caution is advised. But, it is safer than warfarin (rat poison) or Plavix.

[willie pete]

Aspirin has anti-platelet properties increasing the risks of a bleed, taking aspirin long-term I've always thought wasn't a good thing to do, but that's just me...


It's the anti-clotting aspect of aspirin use that DOES provide a benefit: it helps against the formation of blood clots. (I don't know about aspirin's usefulness in any other regard as far as heart issues).

For example, if you have atrial fibrillation, your chance of developing clots increase greatly... those clots, if broken free could travel on and result in a stroke. Sure, aspirin has this lousy reputation for increasing the chance of gastric-intestinal bleeding... gee, what a trade off, eh?

BUT... aspirin is still a LOT "safer" than coumadin (AKA warfarin: rat poison).

Personally, I think (omega-3) fish oil is a superior alternative. However, fish oil in NOT anti-clotting, but it DOES enhance the "laminar flow" of blood, Whatever... :) In the case of atrial fibrillation (just my amateur theory), improved flow would lessen the likelihood of clot formation because the platelets would be less likely to hang around to form clots. I COULD be wrong... you have been warned! ;D

One way or another, we're all going to die (reminds me of the kid in the movie "What About Bob?")




All well taken US, usually though A-Fib is the result of a chronic malady, and IF you're experiencing A-Fib, you need a hell of a lot more than ASA, that's when the anti-platelet meds would be recommended (heparin,coumadin, MAYBE Strepto) my thought regards taking ASA on a long-term basis,over the course of time, is when I think it'd increase your risk for a bleed...as the author of the article states, it's like anything else, Prevention is the best, lifestyle is the key, of course, genetics and heredity play a BIG role, other than that, it's lifestyle 90%.....you've seen the ASA ad on TV," bayer ASA saved my life when I had a heart attack" .....don't think popping an aspirin is gonna do that, because IF you have an MI, chances are GREAT not only your coronary arteries are occluded, so are your carotids..

[Ponce]

Never taken anything in my life and never will, not even aspirin.......I was given a lot of junk when younger (like in the army) but many times I was able to hide away.

I think that this one is a new one..........
===============================================

Regular use of aspirin increases risk of Crohn's disease by five times

People who take aspirin regularly for a year or more may be at an increased risk of developing Crohn's disease, according to a new study by the University of East Anglia.

Led by Dr Andrew Hart of UEA’s School of Medicine, the research will be presented for the first time at the Digestive Disease Week conference in New Orleans today.

Crohn’s disease is a serious condition affecting 60,000 people in the UK and 500,000 people in the US. It is characterized by inflammation and swelling of any part of the digestive system. This can lead to debilitating symptoms and requires patients to take life-long medication. Some patients need surgery and some sufferers have an increased risk of bowel cancer.

Though there are likely to be many causes of the disease, previous work on tissue samples has shown that aspirin can have a harmful effect on the bowel. To investigate this potential link further, the UEA team followed 200,000 volunteers aged 30-74 in the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Italy. The volunteers had been recruited for the EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) between 1993 and 1997.

The volunteers were all initially well, but by 2004 a small number had developed Crohn’s disease. When looking for differences in aspirin use between those who did and did not develop the disease, the researchers discovered that those taking aspirin regularly for a year or more were around five times more likely to develop Crohn’s disease.

The study also showed that aspirin use had no effect on the risk of developing ulcerative colitis – a condition similar to Crohn’s disease.

“This is early work but our findings do suggest that the regular use of aspirin could be one of many factors which influences the development of this distressing disease in some patients,� said Dr Hart.

“Aspirin does have many beneficial effects, however, including helping to prevent heart attacks and strokes. I would urge aspirin users to continue taking this medication since the risk of aspirin users possibly developing Crohn’s disease remains very low – only one in every 2000 users, and the link is not yet finally proved.�

Further work must now be done in other populations to establish whether there is a definite link and to check that aspirin use is not just a marker of another risk factor which is the real cause of Crohn’s disease. The UEA team will also continue its wider research into other potential factors in the development of Crohn’s disease, including diet.

[Ponce]

Mr. Smith..........here is your link.

http://www.naturalnews.com/028710_aspirin_heart_disease.html

[willie pete]

Gracias El Ponce para un Link, the KEY word there is "Prevent"

[oldmansmith]

Thanks Ponce. I'm generally anti-medication unless there is a real reason, but I see people taking asprin willy-nilly. Thanks also to doctor Mamboni. I'm 49 and haven't had a physical since 10th grade. Obviously, I'm not usually partial to doctors, but I value your opinion.

[UncaScrooge]

If I had any condition which necessitated "thinning" of the blood, be it A. fibrillation, stents, DVT etc. I would do it naturally before I would take warfarin or anti-platelet drugs/direct thrombin inhibitors. Bleeding is a major issue with the latter.

Mamboni blood-thinning regimen:

Vitamin E, 400 IU per day (alpha-tocopherol)
One baby aspirin per day (80 mg NOT 325 mg!)
Fish oil ad libitum


Believe it or not, some folk will develop bleeding on this regimen so caution is advised. But, it is safer than warfarin (rat poison) or Plavix.

Gee... guess I might as well throw my regimen-hat into the ring:

Fish oil (omega-3) = 7 grams a day, taken in three batches (am, midday, pm)
Vitamin D-3, 1000-IU, taken with my morning fish oil
Metoprolol 150 mg, taken in three batches (at same time as the fish oil and food)
(the meto is the doc's idea, not mine *grin*)

I was also taking 3 baby aspirin along with the above, but stopped about a month or so ago, because it didn't seem to agree with my digestive tract. (Then again, was taking the stuff on an empty stomach... will be trying again but with food this time in a week or so).

BTW, I'm super low-risk-or-whatever as far as A-Fib cases go... so much for my personal history... not interested in swapping maladies... LOL!

[UncaScrooge]

All well taken US, usually though A-Fib is the result of a chronic malady, and IF you're experiencing A-Fib, you need a hell of a lot more than ASA, that's when the anti-platelet meds would be recommended (heparin,coumadin, MAYBE Strepto) my thought regards taking ASA on a long-term basis,over the course of time, is when I think it'd increase your risk for a bleed...as the author of the article states, it's like anything else, Prevention is the best, lifestyle is the key, of course, genetics and heredity play a BIG role, other than that, it's lifestyle 90%.....you've seen the ASA ad on TV," bayer ASA saved my life when I had a heart attack" .....don't think popping an aspirin is gonna do that, because IF you have an MI, chances are GREAT not only your coronary arteries are occluded, so are your carotids..


I tend to agree with you about regular intake of aspirin being more beneficial than just popping one pill at the moment you have a heart attack... but who knows??? :conf:

At any rate, my A-Fib is fairly new... it "appears" to have occurred because of some massive dental issues which led to a massive infection... yadda yadda yadda. FYI, my heart (aside from the a-fib) is looking real good as well as my bloodwork etc.
So... shrug... guess I better take better care of myself! ;)

P.S. Oops... my apologies... think I'm sidetracking Ponce's original topic... which is how aspirin is "tricky" and not to be taken lightly.

[Saul Mine]

That advice was based on a study conducted by Bayer. Quick, look surprised. But the test was not performed with aspirin. They used Bufferin, which is coated with magnesium, which is well known for its preventive properties. Of course Bayer doesn't sell magnesium so they didn't mention that. Magnesium is available in any drug store as epsom salt for about a buck a pound.

TIP: Mix it with lemonade to neutralize the taste.

[keehah]

I recall the local radio and newspaper corporate 'journalism' was heavily promoting the take daily aspirin for heart health propaganda years still after 2010. I was surprised to see mainstream articles recommending against this abuse of the drug going back a decade.

cbsnews.com: Millions Take Aspirin to Prevent Heart Attacks Based on a Typo; "Immodest" Bayer Site Not Helping (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/millions-take-aspirin-to-prevent-heart-attacks-based-on-a-typo-immodest-bayer-site-not-helping/)

DECEMBER 11, 2009
Millions of people are needlessly popping an aspirin every day in the false belief that it will ward off heart attacks and strokes, according to HeartWire. In part, beliefs about the cardiovascular power of aspirin may have been spurred by a typo in an influential 2002 BMJ paper which originally said "daily aspirin may well be appropriate." That final word should have been "inappropriate." A correction was made, but not before the media began reporting on the heart-healthy benefits of daily aspirin...

HeartWire also calls out Bayer (BAY.DE)'s web site for aspirin, which it calls "an immodest homepage for a drug that, at least in the primary-prevention arena, has weathered a less-than-wonderful year." The site is indeed over the top and perhaps should be examined by the FDA for accuracy. Among the headlines:
"Expect Wonders"
"Heart Health Advantage"
"You Can Do More to Protect Your Heart!"

The site says aspirin can prevent stroke and heart attack, describing it as a "miracle drug."..

Bayer has a history of mismarketing aspirin. In October 2008 the FDA cited Bayer for marketing unapproved aspirin drugs, one of which was Bayer Aspirin With Heart Advantage.

medicalxpress.com: Aspirin is linked with increased risk of heart failure (https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-11-aspirin-linked-heart-failure.html)

NOVEMBER 22, 2021 by European Society of Cardiology
The average age of participants was 67 years and 34% were women. At baseline, a total of 7,698 participants (25%) were taking aspirin. During the 5.3-year follow-up, 1,330 participants developed heart failure.

The investigators assessed the association between aspirin use and incident heart failure after adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol use, blood pressure, heart rate, blood cholesterol, creatinine, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and treatment with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, beta-blockers and lipid-lowering drugs. Taking aspirin was independently associated with a 26% raised risk of a new heart failure diagnosis...

Dr. Mujaj said that "this was the first large study to investigate the relationship between aspirin use and incident heart failure in individuals with and without heart disease and at least one risk factor. Aspirin is commonly used—in our study one in four participants were taking the medication. In this population, aspirin use was associated with incident heart failure, independent of other risk factors."

He concluded that "large multinational randomized trials in adults at risk for heart failure are needed to verify these results. Until then, our observations suggest that aspirin should be prescribed with caution in those with heart failure or with risk factors for the condition."