Aspirin Use Cuts Death Risk for Women

Women who take a low to moderate dose of aspirin may lower their risk of death. This is particularly true for women who are older and prone to heart disease, according to a 24 year study of nearly 80,000 women.

Experts did caution that the results are not definitive and women should not take aspirin as a preventative measure without talking to their doctor first.

The study followed middle-aged and older nurses who took aspirin. The study showed that the women had a 25 percent lower risk of death when compared to those who never took aspirin. Aspirin takers had a 38 percent lower risk of death resulting from cardiovascular disease and a 12 percent lower risk of cancer.

Doctors usually advise people who've had heart attacks and strokes to take a daily 81 milligram dose of aspirin. The study's results show that aspirin may help healthy women as well.

"This confirms what we already know: Aspirin is good for you, whether you're a man, whether you're a woman," said Dr. Jeffrey Berger of Duke University Medical Center who studies aspirin's effects.

Aspirin can cause ulcers and bleeding, so women should talk to their doctors before using it, according to Berger.

Aspirin is thought to prevent heart attacks and strokes by blocking platelets from forming blood clots. Because it is an anti-inflammatory, it may also help to prevent cancer.

The average age of the women in the study was about 46 when the study started and 70 when it ended. The study will appear in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine. The results are compelling due to the large size of the study.

That being said, the study was observational, meaning the women chose to take the aspirin, as opposed to it being assigned for the purpose of the study. Because of this those who took aspirin could have been healthier than the other women for reasons not taken into account by the researchers.

"We cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship and the results should be interpreted with caution," said study co-author Dr. JoAnn Manson at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. "We don't want people hearing about the study and beginning to take aspirin long-term without having a discussion with their doctor."

The researchers matched 9,477 women who died between 1980 and 2004 with women who did not die. They looked at which women took the aspirin as well as risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, weight, and diabetes.

Sources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701689.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070326181422.htm