Over the last three decades, the pendulum for opinions about aspirin as a preventive therapy has swung widely. The Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial randomized 19,114 community-living residents 70 and older in Australia and the U.S., giving them either 100 mg daily aspirin or a placebo. At baseline, subjects did not have a cardiovascular disease and had controlled blood pressure. At five years follow-up, scientists saw no significant reduction in ischemic stroke incidence associated with aspirin, while incidence of all types of intracranial bleeding — including hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in the brain) — risk increased by 38 percent.

The researchers further reported that 1.1 percent of participants taking aspirin experienced some form of intracranial bleeding. Stomach bleeding risk increased 87 percent in the subjects who took daily aspirin.

Preventive therapies should have very low risks. After all, preventative therapies are often undergone by relatively healthy people.

I have seen far too many people experience adverse effects from taking aspirin as a prophylactic. This includes excess bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, brain bleeds, and kidney problems. The elderly are at particular risk of adverse effects from aspirin.

A better prophylactic against strokes and blood clots is to eat a healthy diet, maintain adequate hydration, and correct nutrient imbalances.

Perhaps the most important thing for preventing a stroke is to not become dehydrated, which increases the risk of clots and thicker blood. How much water should you drink? Take your body weight in pounds, divide that number by two and the result is the minimum amount of water (in ounces) to drink on a daily basis.