Aspirin Does NOT Cause Damage To Stomach Or Intestines

[haidut]

And baking soda as well, from what I remember.

Here is the study I was thinking of

Effect of sodium bicarbonate on aspirin-induced damage and potential difference changes in human gastric mucosa. - PubMed - NCBI

"These findings indicate that sodium bicarbonate in amounts equivalent to one-third of a teaspoonful of baking soda protects the gastric mucosa against aspirin-induced damage and prevents the usual fall in potential difference after aspirin."

Yes, that too. Caffeine, magnesium, theanine, and vitamin B6 are also chemical on which I posted studies for protection of the GI against aspirin irritation.

 

[ecstatichamster]

I've been swallowing s tablespoon of raw honey daily on an empty stomach and I think has greatly improved my aspirin tolerance. I think people who get stomach aches from aspirin often have h. Pylori overgrowth in their stomach. Honey seems to help.

 

[tomisonbottom]

I've been swallowing s tablespoon of raw honey daily on an empty stomach and I think has greatly improved my aspirin tolerance. I think people who get stomach aches from aspirin often have h. Pylori overgrowth in their stomach. Honey seems to help.

Why do you think that?

Isn't it just as likely that the antibacterial affect of aspirin help someone with an overgrowth feel better?

 

[Kyle Bigman]

It isn't stupid. I have problems with aspirin. I think it's due to h. Pylori.

Do you still take aspirin? I am taking such a low dose but still have gotten some kind of stomach pain, and am wondering if that means it is h. pylori as well... have you tried antibiotics for that?

 

[ecstatichamster]

Do you still take aspirin? I am taking such a low dose but still have gotten some kind of stomach pain, and am wondering if that means it is h. pylori as well... have you tried antibiotics for that?

I take it. A gram at a time. No problems anymore.

 

[Jem Oz]

Saw this in action recently. Went to see a gastroenterologist because I had a sudden and fairly pronounced drop in hemoglobin last year that landed me in hospital. The docs were/are convinced it's from internal blood loss, despite looking very hard for it and finding no sign. Anyway, I'm sticking with the outpatient appointments because it's all free ("free" in Australia meaning we pay for healthcare through high taxes), and I figured it's a good way to get a bunch of recurring and extensive blood tests, as well as a non-invasive liver scan all for free (morals be damned).

So I mentioned in passing that I've taken 300 mg aspirin about 2-3 times a week, on and off, for the last 2-3 years. And the docs were APPALLED. The gastro was SO confident that the aspirin is the cause of my anemia, and is "very confident" it has created ulcers in my small intestine. I could print out all of this fantastic research and take it to him, but of course it wouldn't change a thing. Their minds are made up. Apparently all I have to do is quit the aspirin immediately, and never take it again, and my troubles will be over.

Nevermind that I have continued taking aspirin since my hospital stay last year, and every recent blood test has been completely normal.

 

[Meta]

I've just started this regimen of aspirin 350mg alka selzter with 1/3 teaspoon of baking soda and 1000mg of glycine. How much glycine is recommended? as I can't find an answer for this specifically.

 

[Meta]

There has been a great deal of controversy in regards to the effects of aspirin on the GI tract. Most sources of "common" medical knowledge claim that aspirin is very bad for the GI tract, while Ray has claimed that is not true and sometimes even the opposite.
This study claims that aspirin does NOT cause damage (ulcers) or permeability in the stomach or small intestine when administered on its own. However, when administered with other uncoupling agents like DNP, aspirin does increase the damage cause by that harming agent. But aspirin only increased the damage when administered intraperitoneally together with the harming agent, which is not how most people ingest aspirin. Aspirin does decrease the levels of certain prostaglandins, but contrary to the "common" medical knowledge this did not lead to damage of the mucosa in any of the studied portions of the GI tract. Surprisingly, the authors say that this is expected and that aspirin has to be administered in doses 10 times higher for a long period of time to produce some sort of GI damage. Pretty much what Ray said - i.e. studies in which aspirin was shown to cause damage used extremely high doses designed to produce damage, and for most people using aspirin therapeutically this is not an issue.
Bottom line - in doses equivalent to human doses of 1,000mg-1,500mg using oral administration aspirin alone does NOT cause damage to the GI tract.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 723.x/full

"...Gastric permeability: Table 1 shows the mean 0–5, 5–24 and the total 0–24 h urinary excretion of sucrose following its oral administration 1 h and 24 h after drug administration. None of the drugs was associated with any significant increase in sucrose permeation, although there was a trend for increased sucrose excretion when indomethacin was given 1 h before the test (5–24 h and total 0–24 h excretion values). These results are consistent with previous studies."

"...Intestinal permeability: Intestinal permeability following vehicle, indomethacin, aspirin and DNP. Intestinal permeability is significantly increased in the 1–6-h period following indomethacin and DNP administration (with or without aspirin). Aspirin alone had no significant effect on intestinal permeability. Results are expressed as the mean (± s.e.) urinary excretion (% dose) of 51CrEDTA. * Differs significantly (P < 0.01) from control."

"...Morphological studies: Macroscopic assessment of the small intestinal mucosa 20 h after administration of the drugs showed no abnormality following vehicle, DNP or aspirin. Following DNP plus aspirin all animals had small intestinal ulcers (number: 12 ± 6, mean ± s.e.), located on the mesenteric border of the small bowel, just distal to the site of DNP instillation. These were macroscopically identical to the ulcers found in the indomethacin treated group (number: 22 ± 10). The indomethacin ulcers differed only by their mid small bowel location and they were more numerous."

Effect of sodium bicarbonate on aspirin-induced damage and potential difference changes in human gastric mucosa - PubMed

Two aspirin tablets in 100 ml fluid will produce microscopical damage to the human stomach. A study was performed to determine whether a small amount of sodium bicarbonate (equivalent to one-third of a teaspoonful of baking soda) could protect against this damage. Sequential gastric biopsy...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Says here that Aspirin taken in saline solution produced mucousal damage to the stomach lining:

Effect of sodium bicarbonate on aspirin-induced damage and potential difference changes in human gastric mucosa​

Two aspirin tablets in 100 ml fluid will produce microscopical damage to the human stomach. A study was performed to determine whether a small amount of sodium bicarbonate (equivalent to one-third of a teaspoonful of baking soda) could protect against this damage. Sequential gastric biopsy specimens were taken from 15 healthy subjects before, during, and after intragastric instillation of one of the following isotonic solutions: saline; sodium bicarbonate; 600 mg aspirin suspended in sodium bicarbonate; and aspirin suspended in saline. On a separate day the same solutions were instilled, but gastric transmucosal potential differences were monitored. Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy of the biopsy specimens showed occasional mucous degranulation of mucosal surface cells, but no cell damage during instillation of sodium bicarbonate. Light microscopy studies 10 minutes after aspirin in saline showed damage in 20% of surface cells, with focal areas of cellular disruption and microscopic erosions, but only 3.4% of cells were damaged after aspirin in bicarbonate and there were no erosions. Electron microscopy showed a damaged honeycombed appearance of surface epithelium after aspirin in saline and a normal cobblestone appearance after aspirin in bicarbonate. Aspirin dissolved in bicarbonate failed to induce the usual fall in potential difference.These findings indicate that sodium bicarbonate in amounts equivalent to one-third of a teaspoonful of baking soda protects the gastric mucosa against aspirin-induced damage and prevents the usual fall in potential difference after aspirin.