As my readers know from prior posts, Big Pharma has spared no resource in its quest to convince the public that taking aspirin is at least as dangerous as playing a Russian roulette. One of the most commonly cited (and fear-inducing) reasons doctors give to patients against using aspirin regular is the bleeding risk that allegedly aspirin increases. Multiple studies have come out in the last 10-15 years showing that the alleged risk has been dramatically overblown and does not correspond to the available data. In addition, several studied demonstrates that aspirin can reduce the risk of dying from a major bleeding event in the GI tract or brain. Those bleeding risks in GI tract and brain are even listed on aspirin products as official warnings by the FDA. The study below is perhaps the first to show that aspirin not only reduces risk of dying from a bleeding event, but actually reduces the risk of bleeding itself. At least when it comes to the brain, that is, which also happens to be the more feared bleeding risk type given the difficulty of controlling a bleeding event in the brain (as opposed to the GI tract). In addition, the hospitalized (cancer) patients taking aspirin had (juts like in the prior aspirin studies mentioned above) lower mortality, lower rate of strokes, shorter hospital stays and were easier to stabilize/treat. It looks like the study came dangerously close to showing that aspirin may cure the cancer of those patients as well, but given the low dosage such an outcome was not expected.
I would not be surprised if soon we see studies, which found that aspirin reduces risk of GI bleeding as well, and does not cause GI ulcerations, as currently claimed. But it looks like such studies may not be needed, as another recent study found that a majority of people over 50 take aspirin regularly despite their doctor’s advice (actually, orders would be a more appropriate word). As the former editor of the esteemed BMJ said – until serious evidence to the contrary is available, one should assume every public health warning/policy is fraudulent, as it is likely based on openly fraudulent research. The story of aspirin’s fear-porn is perhaps one of the best examples of that.
“…A new analysis hints that there may be a benefit from aspirin for hospitalized patients with leukemia. In a preliminary study, researchers found that aspirin users had much lower odds of intracranial bleeding, deep vein thrombosis, in-hospital mortality, and septic stroke. Aspirin users also spent less time in the hospital and had less costly care. No one is suggesting that clinicians give aspirin to hospitalized patients with leukemia when the drug is not otherwise indicated. However, the findings, released at the Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO 2024) meeting in Houston, do indicate that more research is warranted, study lead author Jayalekshmi Jayakumar, MD, of the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City, said in a presentation.”
