Recent research lends weight to using low doses of aspirin with adults in their 50s. | Courtesy of Shutterstock
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Amanda Rupp | Apr 18, 2016

Research supports low-dose aspirin use for adults in 50s

Recent studies suggest that there exists significant evidence for using low-dose aspirin among adults between the ages of 50 and 59 in order to prevent colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Using this evidence, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released its final recommendation statement, as well as evidence summaries.

The leaders on the task force researched which patients would gain the most benefits from using aspirin, particularly when the patients used other drugs to prevent colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease.

"Fortunately, the task force found that for 50 to 69 year olds at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, taking aspirin can help prevent heart attacks and strokes as well as colorectal cancer," Douglas Owens, a former USPSTF member who led the review, said.

The results showed that low-dose aspirin is useful for 50 to 59-year-old patients who have a 10 percent or more chance of developing cardiovascular disease within 10 years. These patients must also have a life expectancy amounting to a minimum of 10 years, prove that they don’t have higher chances of bleeding, and show that they have a willingness to take aspirin every day for a minimum of 10 years.

When patients are 60 to 69 years old, the USPSTF recommended that physicians base their prescriptions on an individual basis.

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