Low-dose aspirin is no longer universally recommended to prevent heart health emergencies, but it might help people with type 2 diabetes, a new study says.
People with type 2 diabetes who took low-dose aspirin were less likely to have a heart attack or stroke, researchers said in findings that will be presented Sunday at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans.
"We were somewhat surprised by the magnitude of the findings," researcher Dr. Aleesha Kainat, a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said in a news release.
"People with type 2 diabetes and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease who reported taking low-dose aspirin were much less likely to have had a heart attack, stroke or death over 10 years when compared to similar individuals who did not report taking low-dose aspirin," Kainat said.
"That benefit was greatest for those who took aspirin consistently, throughout most of the follow-up time," she added.
