AN ASPIRIN A DAY?

Should You Be Taking Aspirin Daily? By Rita Rubin WebMD Health News Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD It’s cheap, easy to find, and, according to some, a miracle drug. But should you pop an aspirin every day to stay healthy? More and more research suggests that this medicine protects against heart attacks, strokes, a variety of cancers, and even preterm birth and preeclampsia, a condition in pregnancy marked by high blood pressure and damage to organs such as the kidneys. And most recently, a study found that salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin, blocks a protein that can enter brain cells and trigger the process that leads to their death, as seen in diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. But it's too soon to add protection against such brain diseases to the “pros” column when considering whether to take aspirin, says Daniel Klessig, PhD, a researcher on the new study and a professor at the Boyce Thompson Institute and Cornell University.