Aspirin Is Not Beneficial for Depression in Older Adults

Elevated inflammatory markers are linked to depression, and antidepressant treatment has been associated with reductions in those markers. These researchers examined the antidepressant effects of low-dose aspirin (100 mg) in a substudy of the ASPREE trial, a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial examining how this well-known nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and blood thinner affected cardiovascular events and survival in 19,114 relatively healthy seniors (mean age, 75).

During the median follow-up of 4.7 years, each participant was assessed for depression an average of 4.2 times. Depression scores did not differ significantly between the low-dose aspirin and placebo groups.