Aspirin: A potential longevity tool for women; Reduces a variety of health risks

Aspirin may reduce the overall risk of death in women, particularly those who are older and prone to heart disease according to a 24-year study of nearly 80,000 U.S. nurses that began in 1976 and followed their health in detail. (LA Times)

But experts cautioned that the results were not definitive and that women should not take aspirin as a preventive without talking to their doctor. The results were published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

In the long-running study of nurses who were middle-aged and older, women who took aspirin had a 25% lower risk of death from various causes compared with those who never took it. Aspirin-takers had a 38% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 12% lower risk of death from cancer.

Many doctors advise people who have had heart attacks and strokes to take a daily 81-milligram baby aspirin. The new study suggests aspirin may help healthy women too. No benefit was found for high doses, defined as two or more standard 325-milligram aspirin tablets a day.

Aspirin is thought to prevent heart attacks and strokes by blocking platelets from forming clots. Its anti-inflammatory properties may also help prevent cancer.

Previously reported that aspirin reduced a range of cancers, including breast, colon and bowel (BBC). However there have been other studies casting doubt on the effectiveness of aspirin in prevention of death from cardiovascular disease in women. More studies will be required before a definitive pattern can be determined.

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