Aspirin Disappoints For Avoiding First Heart Attack, Stroke
(AP) -- New studies find most people won't benefit from taking daily low-dose aspirin or fish oil supplements to prevent a first heart attack or stroke.
Aspirin is recommended now for lowering the risk of a second heart attack, stroke or other heart problem in people who already have suffered one. The new research does not change that advice.
Instead, it tested whether aspirin also could prevent a first heart attack or stroke in people with diabetes or with several other health threats such as smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
In those cases, aspirin's benefits did not outweigh the risk of serious bleeding it can cause.
Results were discussed Sunday at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Munich.
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