Recent research^[1] reveals that one in ten of us – or nearly 3 million people^[2] over 45 – take low dose aspirin daily as a blood thinner, ’just in case’, although they are not at high risk of a cardiovascular event. A further one in six people are considering taking a daily dose in future to ward off a heart attack. All this, whilst worldwide clinical guidelines have advised for years that healthy people (those not at high risk of CVD) should not be taking aspirin as a preventative, as the risk of side effects outweighs the benefits^[3].

With hundreds of thousands of healthy Brits risking gastric distress or unsafe bleeding by inappropriately self-prescribing aspirin, it’s clear that the over 45s are looking for a daily solution to better cardiovascular health.

The new, natural alternative to cardiovascular health

From today, they should be relieved to learn that Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 is being heralded by media and medics as the new natural, safe, scientifically proven dietary approach to maintaining healthy blood flow and blood circulation.

A large body of evidence on the efficacy of Fruitflow® as an antiplatelet already exists, and now clinical trials, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, have been conducted to compare the antiplatelet effects of Fruitflow® and aspirin. The trials found that Fruitflow® was as effective as a single dose of aspirin (75mg). However, whereas Fruitflow® slows the reactions of platelets down yet still lets them clot normally, by contrast, daily aspirin brings them close to a complete halt. This means that with aspirin they clot much more slowly, which can cause gastric bleeding/over-bleeding in injury.

To put this into perspective, normally a platelet plug will be fully formed in flowing blood within 50 – 100 seconds. Taking daily Fruitflow®, this would slow to between 100 and 150 seconds. Whereas aspirin slows it to 300 seconds – 600 seconds (5-10 minutes) or four times the normal range! With aspirin, therefore, the platelets are so strongly affected that the body can continue to bleed freely even ten minutes after a cut is received.

The trials concluded that Fruitflow® is suitable to reduce platelet hyperactivity (a typical consequence of ageing, onset of type II diabetes, mellitus, atherosclerosis etc.) in adults at low risk of a cardiovascular event. Though aspirin may be necessary for those at really high risk, researchers advised that it is unsafe in low risk adults. Moreover, nearly a third (25-30%) of people are resistant to aspirin.

The trials found that the difference arises because although Fruitflow® and aspirin share several points of action, they also diverge: aspirin in an irreversible manner, Fruitflow® in a reversible manner. Aspirin permanently lowers the platelet response to outside signals, and over time, more and more platelets are permanently affected. With long-term aspirin use this can lead to bleeding risks. However, Fruitflow® is not known to have any such effect. Daily consumption of Fruitflow® does not permanently prevent the platelets from reacting to outside signals, so a large enough signal (e.g. a bleeding event) can still trigger a proper platelet response, without too much delay.

Simply put, whereas aspirin may be necessary for those with cardiovascular disease, it is not the best solution for healthy adults, but Fruitflow® is. So if you’re one of those 7+ million Brits taking or considering taking aspirin ‘just in case’, maybe it’s time to stop and think again…

^[1] Consumer polling undertaken by 72 point in June 2016, involving 2000 UK respondents aged 45 years and over on behalf of Provexis Ltd.

^[2] ONS figures show 28, 269, 630 over 45’s living in UK. 1 in 10 = 2, 826, 963

^[3] Research from London’s Queen Mary University reported side effects like severe stomach bleeding and ulcers which led to nearly 900 deaths a year. SOURCE: http://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/items/smd/137377.html