Aspirin

slasher said:

Like many thousands of middle aged men I am considering taking low dose aspirin on a daily basis. Does anyone know of any downside to this from a cycling performance perspective? and do people generally think this is a good or bad idea in regard to avoiding cardiovascular disease?

Good idea to avoid CV disease.

Will have no effect on your cycling.

See your GP if you have concerns.

slasher said:

Like many thousands of middle aged men I am considering taking low dose aspirin on a daily basis. Does anyone know of any downside to this from a cycling performance perspective? and do people generally think this is a good or bad idea in regard to avoiding cardiovascular disease?

i don't know where you live, but for the average american who does no activity, aspirin for CV health can be ok. If you are training/exercising 5-6 days a week, you probably don't need it, esp. if you are only middle-aged. Really depends on a case by case basis.

While they talk about the benefits of aspirin therapy which are real, they "forget" to mention the real risk of GI bleeding, stroke, pancreatic cancer, etc.

If you really want to take care of your heart, continue to exercise, get some good quality mercury-free fish-oil, an anti-oxidant tablet (Vit C, E, etc.) and a multi-vitamin. Make dietary changes as necessary and you will be much better off. Oh, drink a little red wine a few times a week-Nice treat and heart healthy.

my doc recommended low dose aspirin also, so i started. im 55 but an agressive cyclist. now, twice since ive started on hard group rides i have bonked suddenly and completely. the first time is started with my neck muscles getting super sore. second time started with my lower back muscles hurting. barely made it back the first time and was very dizzy after i stopped. same thing a few days later....dizziness, etc. both times it cleared up after about a half hour. thats never happened before and the only think that has changed is the aspirin. could this be causing it??