Beware of this multi-forwarded e-mail that contains potentially harmful heart health advice

I get this stuff all the time. I’m sure you do too.

Today I received one of those “helpful” e-mails, forwarded many times.

This one actually starts off with details that seem authentic. You’ve got Dr. Virend Somers, a Mayo Clinic Cardiologist. He’s the author of a 7/29/08 report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The e-mail states that Dr. Somers recommends taking your daily aspirin at night. This will help prevent an early morning heart attack. And according to this e-mail, most heart attacks occur between 6:00 AM and noon.

Now, did you spot the “tell” in the paragraphs above?

Phony e-mails always have a tell. And it’s usually in the form of oversell.

In this case it’s pretty subtle. Yes, it’s simply the word “Cardiologist.” The capitalization is unnecessary. As soon as I saw that, I suspected a fake.

A quick Google search produced a Mayo Clinic disclaimer. Apparently there really is a Dr. Virend. He’s a cardiologist (lowercase “c”), at the clinic. And he did publish a 7/29/08 JACC report on sleep apnea.

But his article didn’t address aspirin use as heart attack prevention.

More importantly, the Mayo disclaimer notes that the e-mail contains information that’s “inaccurate and potentially harmful.” But that’s it. No details.

Come on, Mayo! Don’t hold out! Fill us in!

Instead, the Mayo note suggests we discuss these issues with a doctor.

Hmmm… Good idea. So I ran it by Dr. Spreen. His response: “Aspirin, baby or otherwise, is complete junk for prevention…all an absolute con to sell drugs.”

There you have it. Straight from a doctor (lowercase “d”).

ALWAYS be suspicious of multi-forwarded e-mails. They usually come from friends who mean well. But all too often, they’re at least partly fiction.