--- title: "Low-dose aspirin linked to 70% lower dementia risk in one genetic group, Monash analysis finds" description: "A Monash University analysis found a large relative drop in dementia among older adults with a certain genetic profile who took aspirin, and it also found…" url: https://lifestyle-health.skoop.news/low-dose-aspirin-linked-to-70-lower-dementia-risk-but-there--2eb629/ published: 2026-10-25T19:29:51.713677-04:00 modified: 2026-10-25T19:29:51.713719-04:00 section: "Lifestyle & Health" publisher: "skoop.news" language: en keywords: ["Alzheimer", "School of Public Health", "Dementia Australia", "Monash University", "Peter Fransquet", "Preventive Medicine", "Research Fellow", "ASPREE", "Association", "health"] hashtags: ["#SchoolOfPublicHealth", "#DementiaAustralia", "#MonashUniversity", "#Health", "#lifestyle"] image: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Ellis_Island_hospital_window_mural_%2801897%29.jpg/1280px-Ellis_Island_hospital_window_mural_%2801897%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail --- # Low-dose aspirin linked to 70% lower dementia risk in one genetic group, Monash analysis finds > A Monash University analysis found a large relative drop in dementia among older adults with a certain genetic profile who took aspirin, and it also found more major bleeding in that group. Published 2026-10-25 · Updated 2026-10-25 · Lifestyle & Health, [skoop.news](https://skoop.news/) ## In brief - A Monash University analysis found that older adults with a specific genetic profile taking low-dose aspirin had a 70% lower relative risk of dementia, even though previous studies found no overall protective effect. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) - Researchers grouped participants by a genetic score associated with platelet count, and the signal was strongest among the top 20 percent of that score. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) - In the highest-scoring group, 1 percent of aspirin users developed dementia versus 3.3 percent of placebo recipients. [[3]](https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-aspirin-may-slash-dementia-risk-by-70-but-only-for-certain-people/) ## What the Monash analysis found A Monash University analysis found that older adults with a specific genetic profile taking low-dose aspirin had a 70% lower relative risk of dementia, even though previous studies found no overall protective effect. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) The findings were published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) Lead author Dr. Peter Fransquet is a Research Fellow at Monash's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) He said previous trials found aspirin did not prevent dementia when everyone was considered together. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) ## How the groups were split Researchers grouped participants by a genetic score associated with platelet count, and the signal was strongest among the top 20 percent of that score. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) They screened thousands of polygenic scores, and after correcting for multiple comparisons only three closely related platelet scores remained significant. [[2]](https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/scientists-say-aspirin-may-cut-dementia-risk-by-70-but-theres-a-catch/) The genetic association identified did not involve the well-established genetic risk factors typically linked to Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) Fransquet said the signal points toward platelet biology and offers a new avenue to investigate. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) Previous research has linked dementia with platelet activation and aggregation, while the role of overall platelet count is less well understood. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) ## The numbers: benefit and bleeding In the highest-scoring group, 1 percent of aspirin users developed dementia versus 3.3 percent of placebo recipients. [[3]](https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-aspirin-may-slash-dementia-risk-by-70-but-only-for-certain-people/) The absolute difference was 2.3 percentage points, about 23 fewer dementia cases per 1,000 people, despite the roughly 70 percent relative reduction. [[3]](https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-aspirin-may-slash-dementia-risk-by-70-but-only-for-certain-people/) In the same genetic group, major bleeding occurred in 4.4 percent of aspirin users versus 2.1 percent of placebo recipients. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) The excess major bleeding in that group is about 23 additional events per 1,000 people. [[3]](https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-aspirin-may-slash-dementia-risk-by-70-but-only-for-certain-people/) Deaths from any cause did not differ between aspirin and placebo recipients in the highest-scoring group. [[2]](https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/scientists-say-aspirin-may-cut-dementia-risk-by-70-but-theres-a-catch/) ## Limits of the study In the original ASPREE trial, low-dose aspirin did not significantly reduce cardiovascular disease or improve the trial's main outcome of survival without disability. [[2]](https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/scientists-say-aspirin-may-cut-dementia-risk-by-70-but-theres-a-catch/) The genetic investigation was an exploratory analysis conducted after the original trial ended, not a trial designed to test aspirin for dementia prevention in people with these genetic characteristics. [[2]](https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/scientists-say-aspirin-may-cut-dementia-risk-by-70-but-theres-a-catch/) Participants had been screened to exclude those at high bleeding risk, including people with anemia or taking blood thinners. [[2]](https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/scientists-say-aspirin-may-cut-dementia-risk-by-70-but-theres-a-catch/) The genetic score used in the analysis is not the same as a platelet count measured in a routine blood test, and the study sets no clinical cutoff. [[2]](https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/scientists-say-aspirin-may-cut-dementia-risk-by-70-but-theres-a-catch/) ## Why it matters Fransquet said the findings raise the possibility that genetics could help identify who may benefit from a preventive treatment rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) No medication is currently approved specifically for primary prevention of dementia. [[2]](https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/scientists-say-aspirin-may-cut-dementia-risk-by-70-but-theres-a-catch/) Aspirin is already cheap and widely available, which could make personalized dementia prevention a real possibility if the finding holds up. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) Dementia Australia estimates about 446,500 people in Australia are living with dementia in 2026, a number expected to exceed one million by 2065. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) ## What this means for you People should not start taking aspirin to prevent dementia based on this study without consulting a doctor, given the increased risk of serious bleeding. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) In the genetic group with the strongest signal, about 23 fewer people per 1,000 developed dementia, and about 23 more per 1,000 had major bleeding. [[3]](https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-aspirin-may-slash-dementia-risk-by-70-but-only-for-certain-people/) The score used is not the same as a platelet count measured in a routine blood test, so a standard blood result does not tell you which group you would fall into. [[2]](https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/scientists-say-aspirin-may-cut-dementia-risk-by-70-but-theres-a-catch/) Researchers say the results must be confirmed before they can guide medical recommendations, and the next step is checking whether the association appears in other populations. [[1]](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) ## Sources 1. [Low-dose aspirin linked to 70% lower dementia risk, but there's a catch](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261024222026.htm) — ScienceDaily 2. [Scientists Say Aspirin May Cut Dementia Risk by 70%, But There’s a Catch](https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/scientists-say-aspirin-may-cut-dementia-risk-by-70-but-theres-a-catch/) — Yahoo 3. [Scientists Discover Aspirin May Slash Dementia Risk by 70% – but Only for Certain People](https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-aspirin-may-slash-dementia-risk-by-70-but-only-for-certain-people/) — SciTechDaily Image: Photo (illustrative): Rhododendrites / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ellis_Island_hospital_window_mural_(01897).jpg) --- Written from the sources above and checked twice (rules and an independent model) before publishing. How we work: https://skoop.news/how-we-work/ · Corrections: https://skoop.news/corrections/