Study shows aspirin does not prevent CV disease or dementia

A large clinical study, funded by the US National Institutes of Health and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that older people taking daily low-dose aspirin as a prophylactic did not lower their risks of cardiovascular disease, dementia or disability.

The ASPREE trial examined outcomes from healthy people in the USA and Australia, who were followed for an average of 4.7 years to determine the effect of the treatment.

At the end of the study period, 90.3% of the treatment arm remained alive without dementia or disability, compared with 90.5% of those taking a placebo. Rates of both were very similar in both groups.