Does Aspirin Prevent a Heart Attack?

While it is believed that aspirin prevents some first heart attacks, its fatal side-effects result in a higher death rate and its non-fatal side-effects such as internal bleeding and cataracts may appear only after years of aspirin use.

Surprisingly, the major study that doctors rely on to “prove” aspirin effectiveness didn’t give patients aspirin alone but buffered aspirin; the calcium and magnesium in buffered aspirin may have been responsible for some of the beneficial heart effects. However, supplemental magnesium and vitamin E have been shown to be more effective than aspirin in lowering heart attack rates as well as overall death rates. Supplemental magnesium and coenzyme Q10 have been shown to be more effective than aspirin in treatment of cardiovascular disease. 

References

Kaufman J. Should you take aspirin to prevent heart attacks? Scientific Exploration. 2002;14(4).