When Not To Take That Daily Aspirin

Common wisdom, rarely discouraged by aspirin manufacturers, holds that an aspirin a day keeps heart trouble away. Yet now comes a study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, suggesting that for some people without heart problems, an aspirin a day can do more harm than good. The Washington Post reports that the new research analyzed data from nine studies, involving 102,621 adults (average age, 57) who had been randomly assigned to take aspirin, generally 100 milligrams or less, or a placebo daily. After six years, the researchers found no difference in the number of deaths between those who took aspirin and those who didn’t, although aspirin-takers had a 10 percent lower chance of having a cardiovascular problem. The bad news? The researchers found that those taking aspirin had a 70 percent higher risk for bleeding problems; the chance of more-serious bleeding was 30 percent greater, especially among younger people. Read more in the Washington Post.