Each year, hundreds of thousands of people die from heart attack, a leading cause of death．In the Landmark Physicians' Health Study at Harvard University in the United States in the late 1980s, a research team led by Dr．Hennekens studied 22, 701 healthy male physicians, half of whom were randomly【1】to take an aspirin every other day while the others took placebos(安慰剂)．After the participants had been【2】for an average of five years, the doctors in the aspirin group were found to have suffered 44 percent fewer first heart attacks.【3】, a recent international study indicates that aspirin can be beneficial for those people with a history of coronary artery(冠动脉) bypass surgery,【4】of their , age or whether they have high blood pressure or diabetes．
According to a report by the American Heart Association, doctors should consider prescribing【5】aspirin for middle-aged people with a family history of, or【6】for, heart disease．(Risk factors include smoking, being more than 20 percent overweight, high blood pressure and lack of exercise．)
Aspirin is also a lifesaver during heart attacks．Paramedics now give it routinely, and experts urge anyone with chest pain,【7】if it spreads to the neck, shoulder or an arm, or is accompanied by sweating, nausea (恶心), lightheadedness and breathing difficulty to chew and【8】an aspirin tablet immediately．
When taking aspirin for heart attack,【9】the plain, uncoated variety．For even faster absorption, crush and mix with a little water．Speed of absorption is critical because most heart attack deaths occur【10】the first few hours after chest pain strikes.
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