Patterns: Aspirin Linked to Lower Risk of Cancer and Heart Disease

NY Times ^ | June 19, 2007 | NICHOLAS BAKALAR

[twigs]

My doctor assured me that one 81mg aspirin per day is enough. I take mine at night since I figure I’ve eaten a dinner that is probably fattier than it should be. Hubby is the cook and he likes the taste of fat.

[oxcart]

OK, Freepers on neverdem’s list...here I go again.

All aspirin products inhibit the main pathway for the degradation of the amino acid Tryptophan from the body. This increases Tryptophan levels and that in turn increases Niacin, which is produced from this amino acid (known to be good for the heart and a cholesterol lowering agent).

This also results in a an increase in serotonin, which is also produced form Tryptophan and it has been show that cancer patients have low levels of Serotoin and Tryptophan.

Alcohol (in moderation) also does the same thing chemically as stated above.

Food for thought? Is it any wonder that L-Tryptophan is on the “orphan” drug list from our beloved FDA?

Please no flaming, I know a lot about this subject.

For you science minded folks do a search and check out the author’s A.A. Badawy and M. Evans on Medline (also use the key word pyrrolase). You will be amazed at how many drugs have this effect on the body.

[reagan_fanatic]

That's interesting.

I've been on Coumadin for the last 6-7 years. I have asked my Doctor several times why I can't just take an aspirin regimen, and I always get a song and dance about how it won't protect me as well.

It makes me wonder sometimes.

[Calvin Locke]

I started taking aspirin because I've been sitting in a new desk chair, and one leg started to feel funny, and I was worried about the possibility of blood clots.

Any way, I found that since I've been taking an aspirin a couple of times a day, my indigestion has been way down.

(Yes, I tried the cider vinegar w/mother route...)

[ErnBatavia]

It makes me wonder sometimes.

Please ask your pharmacist. When the cardio's nurse told me he'd said "just quit the coumadin and give him 2 baby aspirin a day", I ran down to the pharmacy for a quick consult....because that advice had floored me.

The pharmo was not at all shocked, and in fact concurred - he just advised to have the doctor reiterate the "grammage" of aspirin.

So far, so good - he doesn't bruise anymore, and I don't have to take a very easily aggravated and feeble old man to the blood lab at the drop of a pin.

Like I said earlier - I highly suspect a medical industry support system....as you'd know, everybody at the labs, from waiting patients to the vampires, knows everybody else.

[neverdem]

When I turned 50 my doctor suggested that I start taking an 80mg aspirin a day just for precaution’s sake. My question is , is one 80mg tablet once a day sufficient or would one in the morning and a second in the evening provide better daily protection? It seems to me that one 80mg tablet a day would not provide an adequate level of effect over a 24 hour period. Thoughts?

One baby aspirin a day is enough for most folks. When aspirin, aka acetylsalicylic acid or ASA, is used to "thin" the blood, whether to prevent acute coronary syndrome, ACS, with coronary artery disease, CAD, or to prevent ischemic stroke, it works by the irreversible inhibition of platelet aggregation. Platelets are formed elements of the blood made in bone marrow like red blood cells, but much smaller than red blood cells. Platelets have a half life of about 9 days, IIRC.

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, NSAIDs, e.g. Advil, Aleve, Naprosyn, etc. have a reversible inhibition of platelet aggregation. If you're taking aspirin and another NSAID, take the aspirin at least one hour, preferably two hours, before the NSAID because it interferes with aspirin's effect on platelets.

The two main adverse effects gastrointestinal bleeding and a decrease in kidney function, but the latter is very rare on low dose aspirin. About 20 % of folks are resistant to ASA's effect on platelet aggregation.

Coumadin, also known as warfarin sodium, but folks often omit sodium and just call it warfarin, is a vitamin K-dependent coagulation factor inhibitor used to treat or prevent thromboembolic disorders in deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, atrial fibrillation, i.e. an abnormal heart rhythm, narrowing of the carotid arteries and mechanical heart valves. Coumadin inhibits the body's ability to use vitamin K needed to form proteins to clot blood. The effects of Coumadin can be overridden by increasing the amount of vitamin K in your diet. Foods that are high in vitamin K include: green leafy vegetables, cucumbers with peel, broccoli, brussel sprouts, mayonnaise, canola, salad, and soybean oil; hence the need to monitor blood frequently.

Summary of the Evidence
Aspirin for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Events

That study was cited by the The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2006 Recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

[OB1kNOb]

Thanks for the insight and info.