Aspirin is an OTC medicine that everyone should have in their medicine cabinets. Even though aspirin can be difficult on the stomach and you do need to monitor any signs of ulcers if you take it, there are so many benefits that this wonder drug can provide and that is why some people need to take aspirin daily (at the right dosage) if they would benefit. However, aspirin can benefit anyone who is an adult (children cannot take aspirin as it can cause a serious liver disease called Reye’s Syndrome) in four different ways. Let’s take a look at the benefits and how some people with certain conditions, especially, can benefit from taking an aspirin a day.
Aspirin Helps Prevent Heart Attacks
You likely knew this already but taking an aspirin a day can help prevent heart attacks. That is because it keeps the blood thin and can help prevent clots from happening and allows the blood to flow well from the heart to the veins. That is why if you have hypertension, you would certainly benefit from taking an aspirin a day to help keep the blood flowing easily even if there is high pressure as your blood flows through the veins. It can help stave off a devastating heart attack.
The Same Applies To Help Prevent A Stroke
If you take an aspirin daily, you are also not as likely to end up suffering a stroke. Strokes result from blood clots and they can do a lot of damage to your brain which is why stroke survivors often have to go through a lot of therapy to regain skills that they may have lost during a stroke. As long as the aspirin is taken daily, you are significantly lowering your odds of developing a stroke as it helps keep your blood flowing and helps prevent clots from happening.
Aspirin Can Help Reduce The Risk Of Certain Cancers
There is newer evidence found that aspirin can help reduce the risk of you developing certain cancers. The cancers that it can help prevent are in the stomach, esophagus, colon, or prostate. It is unclear as to how it can help reduce cancer, but evidence points to it that it does. And that means if you have a family history of these cancers, then you will benefit from taking aspirin especially if you also have a history of having an unrelated type of cancer as well.
Aspirin Can Help Prevent Alzheimer’s And The Affects Of The Brain From Air Pollution
Another interesting thing discovered was that aspirin can help ward off the effects of air pollution as the effects of air pollution can harm the brain and cause cognitive impairment. Therefore, air pollution is a culprit when it comes to being a risk for developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. The aspirin may also help reduce the plaque building in the brain which is the culprit for dementia and Alzheimer’s. However, it also is effective when it comes to keeping your brain from the effects of air pollution.
The takeaway is that aspirin is a great drug to take as it can prevent some very serious conditions but at the same time, you must talk to your doctor before you begin taking aspirin daily. You may not be a good candidate for it, especially if you have a long history of stomach ulcers. However, if you have diabetes or hypertension, and if you are overweight, you are more likely to end up with certain cancers, cardiovascular ailments, and you are at a risk for having a stroke. Therefore, your doctor may recommend that you take aspirin and will monitor you at the same time so you don’t end up with ulcers.
