Low-Dose Aspirin Has No Effect Against Aging Brains

There has been hope that the use of low-dose aspirin would
protect older, healthy women against cognitive decline such as
memory and thinking. However, according to a study published
recently in the British Medical Journal, this is not the case at
all.

Earlier evidence suggested aspirin and other anti-inflammatory
drugs might help protect aging brains from dementia. The Women’s
Health Study focused on brain health and involved 6,400 women
aged 65 or over between the years of 1998 and 2004 and did not
reveal evidence that use of low-dose aspirin would protect aging
brains.

Low-dose aspirin has significant cardiovascular benefits.
Low-dose aspirin taken on a daily routine basis helps to prevent
both heart attacks and strokes in women 65 and over. The new
guidelines state women under 65 should not be taking aspirin
routinely.

In the Women’s Health Study the first assessment was taken after
5.6 years of treatment. It was found that cognitive performance
was similar in the two groups. The second assessment after 9.6
years of treatment revealed the same results. The risk of
decline in cognitive function was comparable between the two
groups. One area in which there was a hint of better performance
was on the category fluency test. The association was far from
definitive.

Researchers found that the data suggested low-dose aspirin might
be of help among people who are current smokers or have elevated
cholesterol if these were not “chance” findings. They could not
find other studies that replicate this finding.

Limitations of the study included:

• The population in question was generally “younger old” and
white.

The risk of dementia is really more prevalent in women after age
85. Since the trial ended, researchers cannot continue to follow
these same women at the later age. Therefore, whether or not
aspirin is beneficial in those who are older and high-risk is
really not known. What they did conclude was that there is no
significant improvement at all in women less than 85 years of
age.

The study was well-run and had a big sample with careful
measures. If there was a relationship, researchers feel, the
Women’s Health Study would have found it.

Source: Healthday

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration. The information in this article is not
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All
health concerns should be addressed by a qualified health care
professional