Daily Aspirin now bad.

NBC new summarized a study published in the New England Medical Journal that said for healthy people over 70 there was no discernible benefit from taking aspirin. No reduction in cardiac deaths, slight increase in cancer deaths and increase in intestinal bleeding.
Yet another study overturning a long held medical belief. I have been taking aspirin daily for years, guess I'll stop just like I have for Vit E, C, D, selenium and pomegranate. Getting hard to believe anything these days and old age is making me more skeptical about all claims.

I believe you, too, have misinterpreted. You didn't provide a link, but in another current thread another member also provided a link to a new article with the title "Study: A Daily Baby Aspirin Has No Benefit For Healthy Older People."

As many of us are familiar with, the USPSTF weighs benefits and harms of various preventative measures and stratifies "net benefits" those against age groups.

If there was indeed a "new" study recently published, it only reconfirmed the previous USPSTF recommendations for men over 70...which specifically was that the potential for harms outweighs the potential for benefits because as we age our risk of GI bleeding (which is increased by introduction of aspirin) naturally increases.

If you were taking low-dose aspirin as a younger man, your personal physician SHOULD HAVE discussed with you the USPSTF evidence on or around your 70th birthday which might have led to a recommendation to STOP as you aged.


Another example of chasing headlines and not reading details...

But bottom line is still true...don't take any meds without discussing with your physician, and hopefully your physician is up-to-date on recommendation details.

Tim G said...
Currently, the recommendation is to take a statin solely based on age, without any other risk factors.

I don't believe that's correct, Tim G. The USPSTF recommends that adults without a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) use a low- to moderate-dose statin for the prevention of CVD events and mortality when ALL of the following criteria are met: 1) they are aged 40 to 75 years; 2) they have 1 or more CVD risk factors (ie, dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, or smoking); and 3) they have a calculated 10-year risk of a cardiovascular event of 10% or greater.

https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/statin-use-in-adults-preventive-medication1

Think statins are routinely prescribed even when not all those criteria are met. Have heard some cardiologists would be happy if statins were added to drinking water so that everyone could be on it and no matter what your present total/ldl cholesterol numbers are now they could be driven lower.

I was on it for a short while and was uncomfortable with the idea of being on it the rest of my life. Have quite high HDL, but also have LDL somewhat elevated. Convinced my GP to do a more detailed lipid profile and my LDL is now thought to be mostly the not so worrisome big fluffy particles kind and having found that out I dropped the statins.

Normal59 said...

Tim G said...
Currently, the recommendation is to take a statin solely based on age, without any other risk factors.

I don't believe that's correct, Tim G. The USPSTF recommends that adults without a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) use a low- to moderate-dose statin for the prevention of CVD events and mortality when ALL of the following criteria are met: 1) they are aged 40 to 75 years; 2) they have 1 or more CVD risk factors (ie, dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, or smoking); and 3) they have a calculated 10-year risk of a cardiovascular event of 10% or greater.

https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/statin-use-in-adults-preventive-medication1

Heck I take em both...so far so good...it helps the economy and ticks off the minions of mortality...umm great title for...fill in the blanks...anything will fit...oh yeah...back in the da surf...changing the turf...old man...strippen the same...ain't no fame...just a change in da game...light...too light...gravity fights...not me doe...I skirt da foe...apologies to...m...n...m...red one gone...back agin...who needs studies...time will win...