Men who take a low dose of aspirin to protect against heart disease may also reduce the risk of adult-onset asthma. A study of more than 22,000 doctors showed that a low dose of aspirin every other day cuts the risks of asthma by 22 per cent. The findings come from the 1980s Physicians’ Health Study in the US, which was designed to assess the effectiveness of aspirin in cutting heart attacks. It was ended after less than five years because it had clearly shown the benefit, in the form of a 44 per cent reduction in first heart attacks. The data was re-analysed by a team at the Division of Ageing at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts.