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Physicians' Health Study
About the Trial
The Physicians' Health Study randomized 22,071 US male physicians in a factorial design to aspirin 325 mg every other day, beta carotene, both, or placebo, with trial materials and questionnaires handled entirely by mail. The aspirin arm was stopped early in 1988 when it showed a 44 percent reduction in first myocardial infarction, though there was no clear effect on cardiovascular death and a nonsignificant increase in hemorrhagic stroke. Beta carotene showed neither benefit nor harm after 12 years. The study made aspirin a mainstay of cardiovascular prevention for decades, until later trials, including ASPREE, ARRIVE, and ASCEND in 2018, found bleeding risks largely offset benefits for many people without heart disease, and guidelines narrowed its use.
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