No it does not. Aspirin reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes but also causes adverse outcomes—most importantly by raising the risk of gastro-intestinal bleeds. For the typical person in their mid twenties the risk of a heart attack or stroke is so low that the benefit of aspirin will be almost nil, the absolute value of intervening will be vanishingly small even though the proportional decrease in risk stays the same.
There are many possible effects of taking low dose aspirin other than those described so far—it may reduce the risk of colon cancer, for instance, but there are so many possible adverse outcomes too. Cyclooxygenase—the enzyme targeted by aspirin—is involved in many housekeeping functions throughout the body in particular the kidneys, stomach and possibly erectile tissue.
Studies examining risk versus benefit for low dose aspirin treatment have found that a cardiovascular risk of about 1.5%/year is necessary for the benefits of aspirin to outweigh the ill effects. Whilst no studies have been conducted on healthy young individuals I don’t think such studies should be conducted, given that studies in those at a much higher cardiovascular risk than someone in their twenties have returned disappointing results we should not expect any great benefit from such a treatment. Indeed young people, men in particular, are much more likely to experience trauma than a cardiovascular event and patients taking low dose aspirin are much more likely to experience severe bleeding after trauma.
No it does not. Aspirin reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes but also causes adverse outcomes—most importantly by raising the risk of gastro-intestinal bleeds. For the typical person in their mid twenties the risk of a heart attack or stroke is so low that the benefit of aspirin will be almost nil, the absolute value of intervening will be vanishingly small even though the proportional decrease in risk stays the same.
There are many possible effects of taking low dose aspirin other than those described so far—it may reduce the risk of colon cancer, for instance, but there are so many possible adverse outcomes too. Cyclooxygenase—the enzyme targeted by aspirin—is involved in many housekeeping functions throughout the body in particular the kidneys, stomach and possibly erectile tissue.
Studies examining risk versus benefit for low dose aspirin treatment have found that a cardiovascular risk of about 1.5%/year is necessary for the benefits of aspirin to outweigh the ill effects. Whilst no studies have been conducted on healthy young individuals I don’t think such studies should be conducted, given that studies in those at a much higher cardiovascular risk than someone in their twenties have returned disappointing results we should not expect any great benefit from such a treatment. Indeed young people, men in particular, are much more likely to experience trauma than a cardiovascular event and patients taking low dose aspirin are much more likely to experience severe bleeding after trauma.
See this article for more information: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/aspirin-risks-and-benefits/