Benefits of aspirin debunked

AN aspirin a day doesn’t keep the doctor away, a study has found.

The Melbourne-led international ASPREE trial — the biggest clinical trial yetconducted in Australia — followed 19,000 healthy older adults for five years to see if aspirin could keep them healthier for longer.

The study, Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly, found the drug did not prolong life, ward off disability or prevent an initial heart attack or stroke in adults over 70.

It did, however, increase the risk of major bleeding and, unexpectedly, up cancer risk.

John McNeil, head of Monash University’s Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, said the potential benefits of aspirin had been extrapolated from studies showing the blood-thinner could help prevent heart attack and stroke in those with a history of cardiovascular disease.

“We don’t want to scare people. Many people take aspirin for good reason,” Prof McNeil said.

“Millions of people take aspirin, but the bottom line of this study is if there is no need for you to take it, and, if your doctor hasn’t advised you to, there is no benefit at all.”

Three papers from the study are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Heart attack, stroke, fatal heart disease and heart failure were similar across the aspirin and placebo groups, but serious bleeding among those on aspirin was higher, it found

Cancer-related deaths occurred 3.1 per cent of the aspirin group, and 2.3 per cent of placebo.