Abstract
The primary purpose of this study was to determine the aspirin dose that increases
gastrointestinal (GI) permeability. A pilot study was also conducted to determine
whether the menstrual cycle affects GI permeability. Both portions of the study involved
4 experimental conditions. For the aspirin portion, 8 subjects ingested 0 mg, 325 mg,
650 mg, or 975 mg of aspirin the night before and the morning of an experiment. For
the menstrual cycle pilot study, 5 female subjects with regular menstrual cycles were
tested for GI permeability on the same day each week for 4 weeks. GI permeability
was assessed by the urinary excretion of ingested probes. Sucrose (5 g) was used to
determine gastroduodenal permeability. Lactulose (5 g) and rhamnose (2 g) were used
to assess small intestinal permeability via the lactulose-to-rhamnose urinary excretion
ratio (L/R). The data indicated that the menstrual cycle had no effect on GI permeability.
In contrast, gastroduodenal permeability was significantly (P <0.008) increased following
a dose of 650 mg aspirin and small intestinal permeability (L/R) was significantly
(P <0.008) increased following a dose of 975 mg aspirin. These results suggest healthy
individuals should be cautious even with acute aspirin use as it may result in GI
barrier dysfunction.
Key words
gut - menstrual cycle - athletes
