Common blood thinners taken by heart patients could also cut the risk of cancer, a major study of 1.25million people suggests.
The research found that middle-aged people who took blood thinning warfarin pills were far less likely to develop cancer later in life.
Warfarin is taken by hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and millions across the world to stop the formation of blood clots.
People who have suffered a heart attack or a stroke are often prescribed the drugs, as are people who are at risk of clots because they suffer from an irregular heartbeat or have had surgery.