- The gist of this article
Every day, millions of older people take blood-thinning pills such as Aspirin to help prevent heart attacks and strokes. Yet in the summer of 2017 a major study by Oxford University revealed that such aspirin-based pills are responsible for high levels of bleeding, with the risk of fatal bleeds increasing steeply above the age of 70. Indeed, the study demonstrated that aspirin-based pills cause around 20,000 bleeds annually – leading to at least 3,000 deaths
The main reason is that anti-blood-clotting pills can cause gastro-intestinal bleeding. One way to overcome this problem is the additional use of medication that reduces the production of gastric acid. While this may be helpful, maintaining the integrity of your vascular system with Masquelier’s OPCs is an aspect that should not be overlooked. This becomes more important as we age, with the dangers of bleeding increasing when capillary fragility rises.
It has been known for many years that acetylsalicylic acid – the active ingredient in aspirin-based blood-thinning pills – carries a risk of gastro-intestinal bleeding. This is because, even as it does its job of keeping the blood thin and flowing, acetylsalicylic acid increases the risk of bruising, ‘blue spots’ or outright ruptures of the blood vessels. This is exacerbated by the fact that the vascular system becomes more fragile with age. Thus older people run a higher risk when taking blood-thinning pills.
Back to the 1980s…
Even more importantly, we have also known for almost 40 years that Masquelier’s OPCs are proven to significantly counteract the bleeding effects of acetylsalicylic acid. This knowledge was gained following two French studies in 1980 in which groups of elderly people who, either spontaneously or as the result of taking one gram of acetylsalicylic acid, had a very low capillary resistance. Both groups took Masquelier’s OPCs. Overall, patients displayed improved, or noticeably improved, capillary resistance after approximately two weeks, with maximum attainable resistance after three weeks.
…back to your future
Like many other studies, the recent Oxford study confirms the ‘capillaro-toxic’ effect of acetylsalicylic acid, especially in older people. This is a major problem, since the use of aspirin-based medicines is widely prescribed and recommended for people who wish to attenuate blood-clotting to prevent the risk of a heart attack or clot-related stroke or temporary ischaemic attack (TIA). This risk is especially relevant in connection with the problem of atherosclerosis.
All these cardio-vascular problems build up with age. So, it is worth considering that the overall benefits of Masquelier’s OPCs become progressively more specific and valuable as you age. And those benefits could, quite literally, save your life if your doctor has recommended or prescribed blood-thinning pills.
