Aspirin may protect against heart attacks, strokes and cancer, but elderly people who do not have health problems should not take it. “It does more harm than good to them,” warns the New England Journal of Medicine. This has been proven by research by scientists from Monash University in Australia.
Acetylsalicylic acid, it contains, among others popular aspirin is prescribed to patients after a heart attack and ischemic stroke. This compound reduces the risk of another heart attack or stroke – it thins the blood and minimizes the risk of blood clots. It also likely reduces the risk of certain malignancies, including colorectal cancer.
However, recent studies have shown that healthy seniors in their 70s who have not had a heart attack or stroke should not take it. This medicine increases the likelihood of internal bleeding. Meanwhile, aspirin in small doses is available over the counter, so some people take it without consulting a doctor.
Prof. John McNeil of Monash University explains that previous research was conducted mainly on middle-aged people. However, there are more and more observations showing that the risk of side effects resulting from taking acetylsalicylic acid increases with age, including internal bleeding, into the stomach.
19 Americans and Australians aged 114 and over were included in the most recent studies. Half of them took 70 mg of aspirin every day for five years. It turned out that in these people the risk of heart attack and stroke did not decrease, but there were more side effects. – This is important information for doctors, because so far they have not been sure whether aspirin should be recommended to elderly people who are in good health – emphasizes Prof. McNeil.