Coated, Baby Aspirin Not for Heart
(MSNBC News, 2/14/03)

Dr. Mark Alberts of the Stroke Program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and team, studied more than 250 patients who took aspirin to prevent cardiac problems. Aspirin is supposed to keep the blood flowing freely by inhibiting clotting, but when the researchers tested the blood of the study participants, they found that the low-strength ("baby") or coated aspirin did not have the desired effect in more than half the patients. By measuring platelet function, they determined that the full-strength uncoated aspirin was much more effective and reduced platelet stickiness in more than 70% of the subjects.