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

[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

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

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."