A large clinical study known as ASPREE (ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) has resulted in some very surprising findings about the value of taking a daily low-dose aspirin.
In a study recently published in the New England journal of medicine the ASPREE study concluded that for most older adults, the risks from serious bleeding outweighed the benefits of taking a daily low-dose aspirin in patients who were 50 to 59 years of age and had a reduced risk for CVE (cardiovascular events, such as stroke or heart attack).
In this controlled study, half of the nearly 20,000 participants were given a daily low-dose aspirin and the other half were given a placebo.
The study concluded that taking a daily low dose aspirin did reduce the chances of having subsequent CVE in individuals who had already had or were at a higher risk (10% or greater) of having a first CVE, such as stroke or heart attack. However, for those who had not had a first event or did not have increased risk factors for a first CVE, there was no discernible increase in life expectancy in the group taking aspirin compared to the group taking the placebo.
You can read the full ASPREE study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
