Don't rely on aspirin for cardiovascular protection

There's another study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) providing evidence that aspirin does not prevent a heart attack or stroke in the general population. The authors selected 3350 higher risk adults adults from a pool of 28,900 men and women by choosing those with a low ankle brachial index (ankle/arm pressure pressure ratio):

"A low ankle brachial index (ABI) indicates atherosclerosis and an increased risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Screening for a low ABI can identify an asymptomatic higher risk group potentially amenable to preventive treatments."

According to their study design they gave once daily 100 mg aspirin (enteric coated) or placebo...

"To determine the effectiveness of aspirin in preventing events in people with a low ABI identified on screening the general population."

After analyzing all the data collected over a 10 year study period, this is their conclusion:

"Among participants without clinical cardiovascular disease, identified with a low ABI based on screening a general population, the administration of aspirin compared with placebo did not result in a significant reduction in vascular events."

However, there are evidence-based interventions free of side-effects associated aspirin (GI bleeding) that have been demonstrated to reduce risk factors. These can be applied on an individual basis with the functional medicine approach that uses science and technology to objectively identify personal vulnerability and need.