A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has caused confusion about the use of aspirin to prevent heart attacks, strokes, dementia and cancer.
In healthy blacks and Hispanics 65 and older and whites 70 and older and without a history of dementia, physical disability, heart attacks or strokes, the use of low dose (100 mg) aspirin did not help prevent these diseases and may have increased the risk of major bleeding.
These findings do not apply to people who have already had heart attacks or strokes, which usually involve blood clots. These patients need aspirin, because it inhibits clots.
The take home message: healthy older people should not begin taking aspirin, but those who have already been taking it regularly should not quit based upon these findings but should instead talk with their doctor first.