WARNING: This highly touted heart therapy is actually quite dangerous

Here’s why you should avoid it at all costs—and how to protect your heart without risking your life in the process 

When it comes to heart health, there’s one drug that doctors prescribe like candy for daily use.  

But the truth is, it’s riddled with side effects. And it would not be an approved medication if it had to go through the rigorous trials that most drugs go through today before they come to market.  

It thins the blood (which is risky business in itself), could cause a stroke, and has been linked to gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, to name a few. 

And now—finally—the very organizations that once touted its effectiveness for heart attack prevention are discouraging people from taking it after new research revealed yet another reason to pass on this outdated prescription… 

An aspirin a day won’t keep the cardiologist away 

Ultimately, this new study linked aspirin therapy with new onset heart failure (HF), completely independent of other risk factors. In fact, risk increased over 25 percent—more than a quarter. 

Researchers drew from multiple other studies to come to this conclusion. (Previous results have been conflicting.) Plus, this study looked at data from more than 30,000 patients who did not have heart failure at the beginning of the study.  

Most patients didn’t have heart disease at baseline. But of the ones that did, more than 80 percent had coronary artery disease.  

In addition, just shy of three percent of the total study population had a history of heart attack. A good 86 percent had high blood pressure—and 22 percent had diabetes. The average age of the patients was 67 years, and 34 percent were women.  

Overall, the rate of heart failure (per 1,000 person-years) was 14.5 in the daily aspirin group, and just 5.9 in the non-aspirin group.1 That’s a rather dramatic difference, especially given how aspirin is used to help prevent cardiovascular events! 

Of course, there’s plenty of controversy surrounding these findings. But in my opinion, and at the end of the day, aspirin is still a pharmaceutical medication—one that comes with many risks.   

And because we have treated it as a benign and innocuous substance for so long, I think it’s safe to say that we have neglected to study its negative effects the way that perhaps we should have.  

That said, this is hardly the first time that research has exposed the lethal risks of aspirin therapy… 

No benefit, plenty of harm  

The Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial looked at more than 19,000 Australians and Americans over the age of 70, all of whom were free of heart disease, dementia, and physical disability at onset. 

Researchers randomly assigned half of the participants to take 100 mg of aspirin daily, with the goal of assessing differences in eventual death, dementia, and chronic disability. 

Notably, this was the first major trial to look at disability-free survival as a primary endpoint. And that’s important. Because any prescription touted as “prevention” isn’t worth the paper it’s written on if it’s not actually offering the patient extra health, longevity, and independence. 

And it just so happens that aspirin offers none of those things. In fact, not only did aspirin provide zero benefit, but the trial was actually terminated early. Why? Because there was a significant increase in the rate of major hemorrhage among patients taking aspirin.2 

Of course, this is just one startling example: In the Aspirin to Reduce Risk of Initial Vascular Events (ARRIVE) trial, researchers found that 100 mg of aspirin daily did nothing to cut long-term risk of cardiovascular events or stroke in patients with risk factors but no history of heart disease. But it did link aspirin therapy with more GI bleeding.3 

Then you have the ASCEND trial, which also showed that the risk of bleeding in diabetic patients increased almost twice as much as the risk of vascular events dropped when taking aspirin.4 In other words, the risks far outweighed any benefits. 

I’ve been warning about aspirin for years—and taking my patients off of it accordingly. But it’s nice to have the general consensus on my side for a change. Because older people with no clear medical indication for aspirin therapy simply should NOT be taking it. (This falls under that old adage: If something looks too good to be true, it probably is.  

Not to mention, there are much better ways to get the same supposed benefits, at considerably lower risk…  

Three all-natural aspirin alternatives 

First, let me just say that I do think people should always carry one or two aspirin around with them, just in case they experience chest pains or other signs of heart attack. Because in that instance—and that instance ONLY—aspirin can be life-saving. 

But outside of this type of emergency, I do believe aspirin should be avoided at all costs—and especially on a daily basis. Instead, try the many safe, natural nutritional supplements to help keep your blood cells “slippery” and flowing through your veins and arteries with ease.  

Here are my top three picks: 

1.)  French maritime pine tree bark extract—50 to 100 mg per day. 

This is on the top of my alternative recommendation list because it supports a critical body system frequently overlooked by mainstream medicine—your microcirculation. 

This is the vast network of capillaries and small blood vessels that deliver oxygen throughout your body. French maritime pine tree bark extract supports this system by promoting collagen and elastin, which are the main building blocks of blood vessels and capillaries. 

Of course, microcirculation is an integral part of whole-body health, which explains why this extract works so well for so many different health issues—from heart disease all the way to allergies and asthma. It even helps prevent blood clots! 

2.) Vitamin E—400 to 1,200 IU per day. 

This is an oldie but goodie. Our essential enzyme systems need this antioxidant in order to work efficiently. Plus, vitamin E is a powerful blood thinner. 

But buyer beware: The vitamin E supplement you take must be natural (make sure it doesn’t have a “dl” prefix listed before the tocopherols), and it must have the full range of tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta). 

3.)  Nattokinase—1,000 to 3,000 fibrin units per day (this is equivalent to roughly 150 mg). 

This extract is derived from Japanese fermented soybeans—and, simply put, it’s the best natural blood thinner there is.  

You can find all of the supplements I’ve recommended here at your local vitamin shop. 

In addition to smart supplementation, always remember that your best bet for warding off heart attacks and stroke will always be good, old-fashioned diet and exercise. But for extra tips, I urge you to check out my Ultimate Heart-Protection Protocol—an all-natural plan to prevent and reverse high blood pressure, heart attacks, and stroke. 

To learn more about this comprehensive online learning tool, or to enroll today, click here or call 1-866-747-9421 and ask for order code EOV3Y202. 

References: 

1. Mujaj B, et al. “Aspirin use is associated with increased risk for incident heart failure: a patient-level pooled analysis.” ESC Heart Fail. 2021 Nov 22. doi: 10.1002/ehf2.13688. Online ahead of print. 
2. McNeil JJ, et al. “Effect of Aspirin on All-Cause Mortality in the Healthy Elderly.” N Engl J Med. 2018 Oct 18;379(16):1519-1528.
3. Gaziano JM, et al. “Use of aspirin to reduce risk of initial vascular events in patients at moderate risk of cardiovascular disease (ARRIVE): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.” Lancet. 2018 Sep 22;392(10152):1036-1046.
4. ASCEND Study Collaborative Group, et al. “Effects of Aspirin for Primary Prevention in Persons with Diabetes Mellitus.” N Engl J Med. 2018 Oct 18;379(16):1529-1539.