Aspirin Doesn't Help Prevent Dementia

Ivanhoe Newswire
Monday, April 30, 2007; 12:00 AM

By Rebekah Addy, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Despite previous belief that low-dose aspirin reduces the probability of cognitive decline, a new study proves otherwise.

Researchers from the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA, gave half of 6,377 women who were over age 65 an aspirin and the other half a placebo. Every two years between 1998 and 2004, researchers brought the participants to the hospital and tested their verbal memory, category fluency and general cognition. After assessing the data, researchers did not see any significant difference between the groups, either positive or negative.

"I think it remains that low-dose aspirin is beneficial for reducing cardiovascular disease risk if they are at higher risk." Jae Hee Kang, head author of the study from the Brigham and Women's Hospital, told Ivanhoe. "Unfortunately, this data didn't show that this does benefit cognitive decline beneficially, but there are other things that do not have the side effects that aspirin does that are also beneficial for the heart and the brain."

Kang says people can help reduce their chances of getting dementia by engaging in physical activity, drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, controlling their diabetes, and staying mentally active.

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SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Jae Hee Kang; British Medical Journal, published online April 26, 2007