Aspirin-a-Day May Not be Good for Seniors
For years, taking an aspirin-a-day was considered to be a good form of prevention against cardiovascular disease and even cancer. But a recent international study suggests that for the elderly, a daily dose may be more risky than beneficial.
Seniors age 70 and older who are not at risk of heart attack or stroke showed no discernible benefit from taking low dose aspirin every day, according to the study. In fact, doctors warn that aspirin puts healthy seniors at risk for major bleeding. The results suggest that for adults who have never had a major heart issue and are not highly likely to have one, the risks of taking daily aspirin may outweigh the benefits, whereas the opposite may be true for people with a history of heart problems.
Prior research also suggests that aspirin can help prevent some cancers. But researchers observed a higher death rate among the aspirin-takers versus the placebo-takers. Most excess deaths were related to cancer.
The researchers warn that the data should be “interpreted with caution” and does not necessarily mean that aspirin causes cancer; further, the study’s relatively brief follow-up period was likely too short to capture any cancer-prevention benefits of the drug, they say.
