Coated-Aspirin Has the Same Effect on the Stomach as Non-Coated Aspirin
The potential problems caused by taking aspirin have been well publicized and documented over the years. For some people, these include stomach-related upsets including nausea, gastrointestinal bleeding, ulcers, and low-grade stomach pain.
To counter problems associated with the stomach, the pharmaceutical industry developed and has for many years promoted coated aspirin products. The aim of this product is to minimize these potential difficulties by allowing the tablet to sail right through the stomach and into the small intestine before it begins dissolving.
Armed with this information, many people have been taking coated or buffered aspirin in the belief that their risks of stomach problems and discomforts will be lessened. Now, however, a new report recently published in the Harvard Heart Letter notes that this is mistaken information. The risks are just as great in taking coated aspirin as when ingesting non-coated aspirin.
According to the report, aspirin does not have to be in direct contact with the stomach cells to cause them harm. The reason for this has to do with the fact that even though the tablet dissolves in the intestine, the medicine gets into the blood stream where it is pumped to all parts of the body. This would include being transported directly back to the cells of the lining of the stomach.
Aspirin has the effect of blocking the COX-1 enzyme in the stomach. (Cox-1 is Cyclooxygenase-1, a protein that speeds up certain chemical messengers in the stomach.) When Cox-1 is inhibited, it can have the effect of reducing the natural protective mucus lining of the stomach and can cause nausea, intestinal bleeding and ulcers.
Many people use aspirin products regularly and have no adverse reactions. Many older people include taking it as part of their daily health regimen. Regardless, health care professionals and users of aspirin should be advised that taking a coated product offers no advantages to the user who may be experiencing stomach problems. In fact, according to the report, coated aspirin products hold the same potential as non-coated aspirin in causing problems of the stomach and the stomach lining.