Aspirin has long been known to increase the risk of gastric bleeding, although lower doses have been suggested as a way to reduce this risk. However, there is no evidence that taking a lower dose of aspirin or using modified-release formulations reduces the incidence of bleeding in the gut, according to British researchers.

Researchers Sheena Derry and Yoon Kong Loke of the University of Oxford, UK, suggest that the benefits of taking aspirin on a daily basis must be weighed against the fact that doing so may cause gastric bleeding.

• The researchers evaluated 24 published studies including nearly 66,000 people.

• They found that aspirin causes about 1 in 100 patients over a 28-month period experience a bout of bleeding somewhere in their gastrointestinal tract.

• Many people who take the drug daily are nearly doubling their chances of suffering from ulcers and internal bleeding, with occasional fatalities.

• Their analysis of all studies over longer periods suggested that bleeding occurred in 2.5% of patients taking aspirin.

Even low doses over long periods can cause such serious damage that patients need to consider closely the trade-off between the possible benefits and harms, researchers say.

"Indeed, the most important message (in the study) is that there is no gain without pain," writes Dr. Martin R. Tramer, of Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland, in an accompanying editorial.

Given the widespread use of aspirin for the prevention of heart problems, these findings have important implications for everyday practice, say the authors. Ultimately, patients and their doctors need to decide the various pros and cons of aspirin therapy before making a decision, the editorialist and authors suggest.

Many patients are often advised by their doctors to take aspirin, which thins the blood, in order to reduce the chances of thrombosis. But this "thinning" of the blood also increases the chances of bleeding.

Over the past 10 years, doses recommended by most physicians for this type of preventative therapy have been reduced from about 300mg a day to 75mg, while short treatments for headaches can involve 600mg to 900mg.

British Medical Journal November 11, 2000; 321: 1170-1171, 1183-1187.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

The complication rate of aspirin is largely related to the dose given. If one were to use the lower dose of one-fifth of a grain of aspirin three days a week one would achieve an optimal reduction of the plateletlet aggregation. (increased tendency of the blood to clot in places it should not). Additionally, taking the aspirin with food will also decrease its risk of complications like ulcers. When used at the low dose and with food the risk of aspirin is quite low. However, aspirin is still a drug and there are other options which would work quite well. Garlic has a well documented history of also acheiving similar benefits with virtually none of the complications. When using garlic it is important to use the real food, not the supplement. The dose is typically as much as you can tolerate without becoming socially offensive. This is typically one large or two small cloves per day. The garlic will also serve as a source of sulfur for the liver to detoxify items in the body. Garlic also helps normalize the gut flora by killing parasites and yeasts that should not be there. Related Articles: Few Heart Risk Patients Taking Aspirin Long Term Aspirin Use Leads To Cataracts Aspirin, Ace Inhibitor Combination May Be Dangerous Aspirin May Cause More Harm Than Good