Coated Pills May Limit Benefits of Aspirin, Study Finds

Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Doctors and drug makers agree: taking an aspirin regularly can help fight heart attacks.  But what's on the outside of that aspirin could make a difference, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say if you need aspirin -- because you've had a heart attack, blocked arteries or other complications -- you're better off taking a pill that's not coated.

Coated aspirin, which is designed to prevent stomach ulcers, takes longer to dissolve.  That means it could take your blood longer to get circulating in a way that helps your heart.

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