Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Aspirin: The All Purpose MVP?

Men who take a low dose of aspirin every other day may cut their risk of asthma, researchers said. Source here.

A new analysis of a key study from the 1980s that showed aspirin prevented almost half of first heart attacks found it has a similar, though less potent, impact on asthma. Aspirin users were 22 percent less likely to develop the lung condition in the Physician's Health study than those taking a placebo.

``The study suggests that people who are taking aspirin and don't have asthma, it may be preventing asthma,'' said Tobias Kurth, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

I've been taking low dose aspirin for several years now. I also exercise regularly, and during the winter months have notices that symptoms suggesting exercise-induced asthma have not been as pronounced since taking aspirin. Either that or my running is much slower now. Maybe a little of both.