Salivary Amylase. Salivary amylase initiates the digestion of starches, one of the more complex forms of carbohydrate. Secreted in the saliva, salivary amylase breaks down long-chain and branched carbohydrates, known as amylose and amylopectin, into two- and three-molecule sugars called maltose. The individual subunits that make up maltose are glucose, your bodyâs primary fuel source.
Aspirin has many effects because it reduces the bodyâs production of prostaglandins, a hormone-like substance that acts in numerous ways. Reducing prostaglandins diminishes pain and fever and weakens plateletsâ ability to stick together and form clots.
A 'baby' aspirin a day can help prevent heart attacks. Aspirin wards off heart attacks and strokes by preventing artery-blocking blood clots. But it's not for everyone. For example, the benefit against heart attacks applies mainly to men 45 and older, and the benefit against strokes is seen mainly in women 55 and older.