A LOW daily dose of aspirin can help prevent heart attacks and strokes in people who are at higher risk of having them.
The usual dose of 75mg a day can make your blood less sticky, according to the NHS.
Taking aspirin daily could do more harm than good if you don’t have a history of heart attacks, according to a new study
But new research has shown that regularly popping an aspirin can increase your risk of developing anaemia, especially in people 65 and older.
Iron deficiency anaemia is caused by lack of iron in your blood, according to the NHS.
Taking the pills purely for preventative reasons if you haven’t had a heart attack could do more harm than good, the study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine stated.
“There is mounting data that aspirin purely for prevention may not be as beneficial as we thought, and may be more harmful than we thought,” Parag Goyal, MD, a New York-based cardiologist who was not involved with the new research, told Health.
However, he stressed that the new findings only apply to people who do not have a heart condition.
“If someone has had a heart attack in the past, aspirin is really important to continue,” he said.
Taking aspirin for preventative reasons has increasingly become popular in people who haven’t had a heart attack or stroke.
But thinner blood can also mean you’re at risk of ulcers and bleeding in your gastrointestinal tract.
When someone has anaemia, it means their body doesn’t have enough red blood cells to deliver oxygen to their tissues.
Symptoms can include:
tiredness and lack of energyshortness of breathnoticeable heartbeats (heart palpitations)pale skin
According to Health, anaemia can also cause irritability.
The researchers suggested that daily aspirin takers should be aware of these symptoms and could need some additional monitory from healthcare professionals.
Researchers behind the study observed 19,000 people aged 65 years and older, half of whom took 100mg of of low-dose aspirin daily for more than four years, while the remaining people took a placebo.
The team took blood samples from all the participants, finding that that people who took daily low-dose aspirin were about 20 per cent more likely to have anaemia than those who didn’t take it.
Low-grade bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract that’s easy to miss was the most likely cause for anaemia, study author Erica Wood said.
Dr Goyal told Health: “Sometimes these bleeds are obvious, but many times, these bleeds are very small and chronic in nature, making them more difficult to detect.”
According to the NHS, iron deficiency anaemia that’s left untreated can:
make you more at risk of illness and infection – a lack of iron affects the immune systemincrease your risk of developing complications that affect the heart or lungs – such as an abnormally fast heartbeat or heart failurein pregnancy, can cause a greater risk of complications before and after birth
Other side effects from taking aspirin daily could include mild indigestion and a tendency to bleed more easily.
For example, you may get nosebleeds and bruise more easily, and if you cut yourself, the bleeding may take longer than normal to stop.
The NHS advised you take extra care when doing activities that might cause an injury or a cut.
You should always wear a helmet when cycling, slip on gloves when you use sharp objects like scissors, knives, and gardening tools and use an electric razor instead of wet shaving.
It’s even worth being careful when you brush your teeth, by using a soft toothbrush and waxed dental floss.
How to prevent a heart attack or stroke
There are other options for preventing a heart attack or stroke, rather than opting for a daily aspirin.
The NHS advised you do the following:
eat a healthy diet, avoiding too much salt or unhealthy fats
be more physically active
keep at a healthy weight
quit smoking
reduce your alcohol consumption
keep your diabetes under control