Science / Medicine : Aspirin May Boost Alcohol Effects

Men who take aspirin after a meal and then drink liquor increase the effects of alcohol, a New York research team reported last week.

Charles Lieber and his colleagues from the Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that they studied five healthy men between 30 and 45 who were given breakfast either with or without two aspirin tablets. An hour later, the men drank small glasses of orange juice containing about an ounce of alcohol.

“Our data show that use of aspirin increases blood-alcohol concentrations in men who have eaten,” Lieber said. He said that although the increase was small, “its implication could prove significant for individuals driving cars, operating machinery or engaging in any activity requiring a high degree of mental or motor coordination.”