- The gist of this article
In the field of cardiovascular health the negative effects of aspirin® outweigh the positive ones. Although aspirin® does produce an ‒ extremely slight ‒ reduction of the risk of ischaemic cardiovascular events, its long term use seriously increases the risk of major vascular bleeds such as haemorrhagic stroke and gastrointestinal bleedings. To the contrary, OPCs developed by professor Jack Masquelier produce major cardiovascular benefits while their side effects are nil to negligable.
Table of contents
Aspirin’s® results are not what they seem
Since the 1970s/1980s, aspirin® has not stopped gaining popularity as the “cornerstone” drug in the reduction of the risk of cardiovascular disease. Clinical trials had reported the efficacy of aspirin® in reducing the risk of ischemic [lack of oxygen] cardiovascular events. The problem is that most if not all doctors don’t tell their patients that, when taking a closer look at these reports and the statistical methods used to present to clinical results, the concrete prevention of such events is negligeable when calculated in absolute numbers. This fact is hidden behind nebulous and widely misunderstood terms such as “risk” and “relative risk.”
Real World “efficacy” of Aspirin®
When you’re being told that research has shown “that long-term aspirin treatment yields an average 12% [average of 6–18%] relative risk reduction in major cardiovascular events (i.e. myocardial infarction, stroke, or vascular death),” you may be impressed and determine that taking an aspirin® every day might be a good idea. But, you may be less enthousiastic when you discover that this average relative risk reduction of 12% shrinks to 0.08% when calculated as absolute risk reduction. Meaning that in the real world 10 years of aspirin® use will prevent no more than one ischemic cardiovascular incident of well over 100. [i]
The “Net Value” of Aspirin® is uncertain
When comparing aspirin’s® minor absolute cardiovascular risk reduction to the absolute increase of bleeding incidents, the overall result is expressed in terms of a “net value.” Dutch researchers concluded that “[i]n primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, aspirin is of uncertain net value as the reduction in vascular events needs to be weighed against any increase in major bleeds.” Since “aspirin use is associated with 0.01% increased yearly absolute risk for haemorrhagic stroke, 0.03% increased yearly absolute risk for major extracranial bleeds, and more frequent occurrence of minor bleeding complications, such as epistaxis, easy bruising, and haematuria,” aspirin was considered to be ineffective or even harmful in the majority of patients. [ii]
Safety profile of Aspirin® should be reconsidered
It has been known for quite some time that aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is associated with a number of toxicities. Some researchers call it “capillaro-toxic,” since it fragilizes the capillaries. As an inhibitor of a major inflammatory agent [called cyclooxygenase], aspirin® also impairs gastric mucosal protective mechanisms and produces gastrointestinal symptoms in 15–20% of patients. Every year, roughly 1% of patients experience a clinically significant bleeding event, including 1 in 1000 patients who suffered an intracranial (cerebral) or fatal bleed. Although the medical profession is making efforts to shorten aspirin® treatment or replace it by other anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory drugs [such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s; Ibuprofen, etc.) or corticosteroids (Prednisone®)], scientists suggest that “the safety profile of aspirin when used for the secondary prevention treatment of patients with established cardiovascular disease deserves further consideration.” [iii]
Masquelier’s OPCs can solve the Aspirin® problem
Doctors and patients who seek a way out of this dilemma may wish to appraise the fact that some 40 years ago, professor Masquelier’s OPCs were found capable of completely re-establishing a normal capillary resistance in elderly patients whose capillary permeability had been weakened by taking 1000 mg of aspirin® per day. This weakening of capillary resistance [the increase in capillary fragility] is the cause of the widely reported bleeding accidents. Doctors of the University Medical Center in Grenoble (France) conducted a “capillary permeability” trial among their elderly patients. Following 2 weeks of aspirin® intake, the control group received an inert placebo & aspirin® while the test-group received Masquelier’s OPCs & aspirin® during a period of 30 days. In the OPCs-group, capillary permeability was significantly restored in 12 out of 15 patients. In the placebo group the capillary resistance remained abnormally low in 13 out of 15 patients. [iv]
Masquelier’s OPCs score high on CardioVascular Index
Apart from being capable of restoring the negative vascular effects of aspirin®, Masquelier’s OPCs are known for scoring high on an Index that measures numerous measurable factors ‒ “biomarkers” ‒ that influence cardiovascular health. Some of these factors concern inflammatory responses, others concern oxidative stress. At the University of Maastricht, scientists tested the effects of Masquelier’s OPCs on all the factors they had combined in the CardioVascular Index. Their conclusion was that “multi-biomarker approach unveiled the pleiotropic [multiple] vascular benefit of an 8 weeks supplementation with 200 mg/d MOF [Masquelier’s OPCs] in humans.” [v]
