Health Desk: New research shows taking an aspirin a day to help prevent heart attacks, stroke, and certain cancers is only effective for people under a certain weight.
A report in The Lancet finds that the effects of aspirin in preventing cardiovascular events and cancer vary significantly based on weight.
Yet aspirin has shown promise in the past.
A study out last year in Circulation found that stopping low-dose aspirin therapy could increase a person’s risk for experiencing a stroke or heart attack.
Also, a recent study found that long-term aspirin use can significantly lower the incidence of digestive cancers.
Because of findings from studies like these, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends taking a low-dose aspirin regularly if you’re between the ages of 50 and 69 as a way to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and some types of cancer.
In the latest study, people between 110 and 154 pounds who took an 81 milligram (mg) baby aspirin were found to have about a 23 percent lower risk for heart attack, stroke, or another major cardiovascular event.
But those above 154 pounds didn’t receive the same benefits from taking aspirin.
When researchers considered increasing the dose for people who had higher weights, they noted that the next highest dose is a full dose of aspirin — 325 mg.
The problem with taking 325 mg daily is that it’s been linked to excessive bleeding in some people.
Learning that weight plays a role in the efficacy of aspirin in cancer and cardiovascular event prevention, the authors say that a one-size-fits-all approach to dosing aspirin is likely not optimal.