Stroke risk cut in half by common painkiller - if taken at correct time of day

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Taking Aspirin can greatly reduce the risk of having a stroke - if taken at the correct time, according to a recent study.Strokes typically occur when the flow of blood to the brain is cut off, either by a clogged artery or a burst blood vessel.The NHS estimate that 15,000 people in Scotland have a stroke each year.Health advice states that living a healthy lifestyle, reducing alcohol consumption, and steering clear of tobacco are the best ways to prevent stroke.Rapid medical treatment is essential to stop long-term damage or death in stroke sufferers as 38,000, more than a third, are killed by the condition.A recent long-term study into the use of aspirin to lower the risk of stroke in older people has found that taking the painkiller at the right time of day can reduce the chance of stroke by up to 50 per cent.

A Spanish study by the University of Vigo monitored the prevalence of cardiovascular death in 10,000 men, based on whether they took a low dose of aspirin in the morning or the evening.

Researchers found that taking the blood-thinning aspirin before going to bed halved the likelihood of a fatal stroke in this large study group.Study authors say that this is due to the body's "pharmocokinetic" process, through which it breaks down and distributes medication throughout the body, which they say boosts aspirin's effectiveness when taken at night.Did you know you can keep up to date with the latest news by signing up to our daily newsletter?We send a morning and lunchtime newsletter covering the latest headlines every day.We also send coronavirus updates at 5pm on weekdays, and a round up of the week's must-read stories on Sunday afternoons.Signing up is simple, easy and free.You can pop your email address into the