A growing number of health care providers recommend an aspirin a day for people with diabetes. That’s because research has shown that an aspirin a day can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. And people with diabetes—especially type 2—are at increased risk of heart disease, in which the blood vessels throughout the body, and particularly within the heart, become narrowed with plaque.
This plaque can build up in the arteries of the heart, resulting in a heart attack, or in the blood vessels of the brain, resulting in a stroke. If plaque builds up in the blood vessels of a limb, such as a foot or leg, it could result in amputation of part of the limb. Your risks can be reduced by taking these steps:
- Lowering your blood glucose to as close to normal as possible.
- Lowering your blood pressure to 130/80 or less.
- Quitting or not smoking cigarettes.
- Lowering your lipids (blood fats) and cholesterol.
- Taking one aspirin (enteric-coated to protect your stomach) per day in a low dose (81-325 mg/day*).
People with diabetes have “sticky “ platelets. Platelets are the blood cells that help start the clotting process to prevent bleeding. Blood that clots too quickly because platelets are too sticky may add to the development of heart disease and stroke. If a blood vessel is thickened with plaque, an extra-sticky platelet may help create a blood clot, which could then cause a heart attack.
Aspirin can make the platelets less sticky and may reduce the risk of a blood clot and, as a result, heart attack and stroke. Much research throughout the 1990s confirmed that, compared to people with diabetes who do not take aspirin, people who take aspirin have a lower risk of heart attack and stroke. Most research has shown that aspirin in low doses every day is recommended to help reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes. Aspirin does not seem to cause diabetic retinopathy (diabetes eye disease of the retina) or make it worse.
Ask your health care provider if you should take aspirin. If you do not have an allergy to aspirin, a history of stomach ulcers, uncontrolled high blood pressure or a history of a bleeding disorder, there is a good chance you would benefit from taking one aspirin per day.
*Note: To find aspirin that is low-dose (81-325 mg/day), look on the bottle.
Who should take a daily dose of aspirin?
The American Diabetes Association recommends a low daily dose of aspirin for people with diabetes who:
- Have a known history of heart attack or angina (chest pain) .
- Are at high risk for heart disease (due to family history of heart disease, personal history of smoking, high blood pressure, high blood lipids or obesity).
