Its called baby. So how dangerous could it possibly be? Yes...how could something as innocent and tiny as a baby aspirin hide such a dangerous secret? Easy. Its a secret because its mostly ignored. But new research could change that. In fact, this ought to be a blaring wake-up call for everyone whose doctor told them to start the day with that little 81 mg pill. Dont hit the snooze button A new study is touted as the most comprehensive review ever of the benefits and risks of daily aspirin therapy. And at first it looks like good news. Researchers found that a daily low-dose of aspirin apparently does have life-saving benefits. But your chances of reaping those benefits are about as likely as hitting the PowerBall. Results show that about 40 fewer heart-related deaths occur for every 100,000 people who follow the baby aspirin routine. Not great odds, but worth a shot, right? No. Not worth it at all. Researchers also found that about 100 of those aspirin users experience gastrointestinal bleeding. And many of those cases will result in death. Also, about 10 will suffer a stroke caused by the aspirin use. These risks are clearly not worth the scant chance that youll reap any benefits. And this study doesnt even mention another terrible danger. Just this year we learned that aspirin use could lead to blindness through age-related macular degeneration. In one study, those who took a daily low-dose aspirin were TWO TIMES more likely to develop wet AMD -- a leading cause of blindness. If you want to do something every day to keep your heart healthy, do yourself a BIG favor. Toss the aspirin bottle and take another pill instead -- a daily magnesium supplement. A recent study shows that just 250 mg of magnesium dramatically reduces heart disease risk. Magnesium helps keep arteries elastic, while also helping control blood sugar -- two things your heart thrives on. And I probably dont need to add this, but I will... Magnesium causes no side effects. Thats something nobody will ever be able to claim about the wonder drug aspirin. ...and another thing Once again, FDA officials are working hard to protect and serve. Wait...you didnt think I meant protect and serve consumers, did you? Oh heavens no! I meant theyre working hard, as usual, to protect and serve drug company profits. There -- now that makes much more sense, doesnt it? Heres whats going on... Last summer I told you about a new LDL cholesterol-lowering drug in the pipeline. Compared to statins, this is a superdrug that will cut LDL levels in HALF or more. Hopes are so high with this drug that three major drug companies have devoted billions to develop it. And they expect to make billions too. Lots of them. But then they were blindsided by bad news. It was that recent guideline change for statins that basically says, People should just take statins because the drug is good for their hearts. Forget about LDL. Forget about ANY cholesterol numbers. Theyre irrelevant. LDL!? Irrelevant!? That was NOT what makers of the new LDL-hammering superdrug wanted to hear. Ah, but dont worry. The FDA has a plan to make these nervous drug giants happy. Agency officials say that they might approve the new drug based only on its ability to lower LDL. Drug companies wont need to show that the drug actually prevents heart attacks or strokes. Well Merry Christmas from the FDA. What an outrage! This drug might not protect against heart attacks at all. And weve seen plenty of evidence that exceedingly low cholesterol creates all kinds of health problems, including heart risks. It also means that consumers will believe this LDL-crushing drug is a heart attack shield just because of the myth that low LDL makes everything better. This gift is so big, you could never find a bow to go around it.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:36:02 +0000
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