There has been a decades-old running myth saying that one aspirin a day can keep the doctor away, and in the past few years there has also been growing support for the theory of aspirin's heart attack benefits, as taking the painkiller supposedly helps preventing this ailment.
In the early days of 2015, a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology said that many Americans took this medication unnecessarily due to rumors of aspirin's heart attack prevention, but now a new government-supported panel is saying there might be true to these claims - in certain conditions.
According to The Washington Post, the latest aspirin heart attack statements came from the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force, a panel of medical advisers, who recently endorsed the benefits of aspirin in preventing heart disease as well as colorectal cancer - in some very specific patients.
Due to the different effects this painkiller has depending on the person's body and genetic disposal to certain conditions, the panel was torn when it was time to recommend aspirin for heart attacks prevention, marking the group that should take this inflammation medicine for heart attack prevention as adults between the ages of 50 and 59 with a 10 percent greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
"Persons who are not at increased risk for bleeding, have a life expectancy of at least 10 years, and are willing to take low-dose aspirin daily for at least 10 years are more likely to benefit," said the task force in their aspirin heart attacks recommendations, Today.com reports.
As NPR reports, the potential benefits of aspirin for heart attacks prevention is considerably lower in adults aged between 60 and 69, while no studies on the subject have been made on those under 50 or over 60, and in fact the effects are very much dependent on the body and health condition, so patients should ask their doctors to see whether their preventive aspirin intake could be justified.
