Aspirin may counteract stroke risk in older women

Older women whose diets include a substantial amount of trans fats are more likely than their counterparts to suffer an ischemic stroke. However, the risk of stroke associated with trans fat intake was lower among women taking aspirin, according to the findings from University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill researchers. The study was published on-line Thursday in the journal Annals of Neurology. The study of 87,025 generally healthy postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 found that those whose diets contained the largest amounts of trans fats were 39 percent more likely to have an ischemic stroke (clots in vessels supplying blood to the brain) than women who ate the least amount of trans fat. However, among women who took aspirin over an extended period of time, researchers found no association between trans fat consumption and stroke risk -- suggesting that regular aspirin use may counteract trans fat intake's adverse effect on stroke risk among women. "Our findings highlight the importance of limiting the amount of dietary trans fat intake and using aspirin for primary ischemic stroke prevention among women, especially among postmenopausal women who have elevated risk of ischemic stroke," said lead author Sirin Yaemsiri, a doctoral student in the UNC's public health school. Aspirin may lower the risk of ischemic stroke because of its anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet clumping properties, the researchers said. Trans fat is generally created in the food production process and is found in commercially prepared foods, including many shortenings, cake mixes, fried fast foods, commercially baked products (such as doughnuts, cakes and pies), chips, cookies and cereals.