Aspirin is has been widely touted as a way to reduce the risk of heart attacks. However, over the past four years, a certain portion of the medical community has been challenging this conventional wisdom. They claim that an unknown percentage of individuals are aspirin-resistant.

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal revealed conflicts of interest among those questioning the use of aspirin for preventing heart attacks. Many of these individuals have ties to drug companies with more expensive drugs or companies that create tests to check for aspirin resistance. For the next seven days, non-subscribers to the WSJ can read the article by clicking here.

This is the first that we have heard of aspirin resistance. Therefore, we suggest discussing any concerns with your physician and your cardiologist.

Keep in mind that aspirin is just part of heart disease prevention. A low fat-low cholesterol diet combined with regular exercise (particularly cardio) plays a very important role. Lifestyle changes, particularly stress reduction (another reason to take up yoga), also help.