New studies show that taking regular doses of aspirin, especially if you have a hi8story of heart or circulation problems, offers significant protection from strokes. Aspirin helps keep arteries from clogging up and blocking blood flow to the brain or heart.
It takes only small doses of aspirin to attain these benefits. “We’re talking 30 to 81 milligrams,” says New York physician Isadore Rossman, M.D., Ph.D., author of Looking Forward: The Complete medical Guide to Successful Aging. Your pharmacist may stock 81-milligram doses, but if you can’t find them, breaking a standard 325-milligram tablet into quarters will give you four correct doses, (Check with your doctor before starting an aspirin regimen.) How often you take aspirin is just as important as how much: Preventive effects are greatest when you take one 81-milligram dose every day or every other day.
In addition to protecting your heart, some studies suggest that taking aspirin regularly can reduce risk of colon cancer and cataracts, protect against gallstones and boost three important immune-system chemicals.
Since high blood pressure is a major cause of strokes, you can help protect yourself by getting your blood pressure checked as often as possible. A study found that systolic pressure (the top number) is a more accurate predictor of stroke risk than the diastolic reading (the bottom number).