Call (916) 872-9000 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call (916) 872-9000 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Does an Aspirin a Day Really Keep the Doctor Away?

Posted by Joe DeMeo, September 25, 2018

For many years, many older adults have sworn by taking a daily Aspirin. The belief has been founded on the idea that one aspirin per day can prevent a cardiovascular event such as heart attack or stroke, and might also protect against dementia. Recently, a group of researchers set out to discover whether there is any truth to these claims.

The new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, tracked 20,000 healthy adults in the US and Australia for five years. Their median age was 74, and about half of the participants took a daily dose of Aspirin. The other half were given a placebo.

After tracking health outcomes for five years, researchers found no correlation between a daily dose of Aspirin and a reduction in cardiovascular events. Nor was there any correlation with reduced risk of dementia. What they did find, however, was an increased risk of bleeding with serious events.

So, does that mean you shouldn’t bother with a daily Aspirin as a preventive measure? Not quite. The study only followed “healthy” adults, defined as those who had not yet suffered a cardiovascular event such as heart attack or stroke. The head researcher has been quick to point out that if a physician has prescribed a daily Aspirin for you, it’s because he or she feels that the benefits outweigh the potential risks. The results from this study pertain only to adults over 70 who have not suffered a stroke or heart attack. For them, it seems that a daily Aspirin might offer no true benefits, and could even lead to slight risks.

However, you should never begin a regimen (such as daily Aspirin) nor discontinue it, based on one study or one article you read on the internet. Studies must be replicated before we begin to rely too heavily on the truths they seem to uncover. Until we know more, following your physician’s advice is the best way to proceed. He or she knows you best, and understands the complexities of your medical history. We do hope that awareness of this issue will encourage you to broach the topic with your physician at your next checkup, so that together the two of you can decide whether a daily Aspirin regimen is right for you.

Need more information on your insurance options?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close