One of the most senseless acts in modern medicine is also one of the most common. Millions do it… every day.
Some were told by a doctor. Some heard a TV “expert” spout off a recommendation for it. Some were encouraged by friends.
Heck, I bet many can’t even tell you WHY they do it.
And if you’re one of them, it’s time to stop.
It’s time to quit taking daily aspirin if you’ve never had a heart attack or any other specific health problem that requires it.
Because new research shows it almost certainly won’t help you. But it absolutely CAN hurt you.
And the older you are, the bigger the risk you could face one of the most terrifying side effects of this drug.
Bleeding risk SOARS with a daily dose
They used to call it “baby aspirin,” which made it sound so harmless.
People even gave it to babies back in the day. That is until they found it could cause a horrible disease in kids called Reye syndrome.
So today, they call it low-dose aspirin and market it to adults to supposedly protect the heart. But it turns out it’s even riskier for seniors.
The new study finds that overall, daily aspirin use can increase the risk of dangerous and painful gastrointestinal bleeding by 60 percent.
The risk appears to rise for people over the age of 70. And it gets even bigger for folks 80 and over.
If you’re looking for a silver lining here, no one in the study actually bled to death from aspirin. So there’s that.
But that’s not exactly the kind of thing you brag about. I’m trying to picture the magazine ads: “YOU PROBABLY WON’T BLEED TO DEATH!”
Ditch the aspirin and try THIS instead
This study might be new, but the risk sure as heck isn’t. We’ve been down this road before.
Like the meta-analysis of 67 studies that I told Healthier Talk Readers about earlier this year. Researchers found a modest benefit from taking aspirin, a 17 percent reduction in major heart events.
But the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding skyrocketed by 47 percent, and the chances of bleeding in the skull soared by 34 percent.
In fact, the evidence against low-risk folks popping a daily aspirin has piled up to the point that it’s impossible to ignore. Even the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology stopped recommending it for primary prevention last year.
The risk of bleeding is just too high, especially in seniors. But if you’ve BEEN taking it… don’t stop. Not yet.
Quitting aspirin cold turkey can cause a rebound effect, which temporarily raises the risk of a heart attack. So if you’re on aspirin now, talk to your doctor about whether you should continue to take it and the safest way off if it’s time to stop.
Once you’re safely off the aspirin, if you’re interested in some TRUE heart protection consider coenzyme Q10. Research shows this nutrient could help prevent a heart attack. Plus, if you do suffer from one, having higher coQ10 levels could limit its damage.
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