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Aspirin May Help Prevent Heart Attacks

Salicylates, compounds similar to the active ingredient in aspirin, may help prevent heart attacks. These compounds occur naturally in some foods, and can also be found in an increasing variety of products available on grocery stores’ shelves.

Webcast Transcript

Dr. Dan: I’m Dr. Bruce Dan.

Deaths from heart disease have been falling since the mid 1960s but experts disagree on the reason why. Some credit healthier lifestyles; others, advances in treatment.

But in a recent study in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers have come up with another possible explanation – aspirin-like compounds in our food. It’s already known that aspirin itself can help prevent heart attacks. But the new study theorizes foods rich in salicylates, compounds similar to the active ingredient in aspirin, may have the same effect. Some foods including oranges, cherries, raisins, and tomatoes are naturally rich in salicylates. And increasingly, man-made salicylates are being used to flavor foods, ranging from spaghetti sauce to chewing gum.

According to researchers, the amount of salicylates in the American diet has grown by more than one-third since the 1960s, surpassing the level at which aspirin is known to prevent heart disease. So now everyone may be getting the benefit, whether they know it or not.

With Doctor’s Corner, I’m Dr. Bruce Dan.