An aspirin a day is supposed to be part of everyone’s health regime – but that’s not true for women under the age of 65 (and we suspect that’s the case for men, as well), a new study has discovered.
Although medicine’s magic pill achieved a very slight reduction in the risks for cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer, the benefits were more than offset by the sharp rise in the risk for gastro-intestinal bleeding, which sometimes can be life-threatening.
Only when women reach the age of 65 do the benefits start outweighing the risks of GI bleeding, say researchers from Utrecht’s University Medical Centre.
The researchers analysed the data from 27,939 healthy women of all ages who were either taking 100mg aspirin every other day or a placebo, or dummy pill.
Overall, routine, just-in-case aspirin use is ineffective and even harmful in women under the age of 65, the researchers conclude.
(Source: Heart, 2014; published online December 4, 2014).
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