A new clinical trial, ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE), to test the impacts of Aspirin on the health of the senior population for the next five years will be very interesting, although, like others, I can predict most of the outcomes. Many clinical trials similar to ASPREE in other populations produced inconsistent results, because their designs overlooked an important factor, diet especially carbohydrates.

Many recent studies have found most, if not all, diseases are a result of inflammation. Although Aspirin is only an effective COX-1 anti-inflammatory drug, it helps reduce the level of inflammation, thus, improves the outcomes of diseases. However, the success of using Aspirin to inhibit inflammation is varied mostly depending on the inflammatory level inside the body, in addition to its required dosage and side effects.

On the other hand, studies that are overlooked or ignored by today’s medicine have found that hyperglycemia is linked to the level of inflammation inside the body and that the amount of consumed carbohydrates is closely linked to the level of blood glucose. Thus, restricting carbohydrates should reduce the level of inflammation and improve health.

If all possible, I suggest ASPREE modifies its designs by including a group of the study participants who will use carbohydrate-restricted diet, either with or without placebo, in comparison with the other groups. The result will help elucidate if carbohydrate restrictions can improve the public’s health  

Robert Su, M.D.