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The researchers from Loyola University discovered that the new generation of blood thinning drugs can also reduce the risk of stroke caused by atrial fibrillation. However, unlike the previous drugs, the new ones require less monitoring and less dietary restriction.

Warfarin (Coumadin®) is one of the well-known and widely used blood thinning drugs to lower the risk atrial fibrillation stroke in patients. However, that drug needs continuous monitoring and a lot of dietary restrictions.

UPI reported that while the 60-year-old warfarin is effective in reducing the risk of stroke caused by blood clot in the heart, it increases the risk of the hemorrhagic strokes caused by bleeding in the brain. The new generations of blood thinning drugs also lower the risk of bleeding in the brain.

"When starting warfarin, it takes a few days before the drug takes effect," said Dr. Ellis F. Unger, M.D. the Director of FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation I in the Office of New Drugs. "And when stopping warfarin, it takes a few days for its effects to wear off. The new drugs start working rapidly, and their effects wear off fairly rapidly. For most patients, this is an advantage," he added.

While the new drugs are safer, the researchers from Loyola stated that a special attention should still be given to the patient's kidney function, age, and other factors before prescribing the new drugs, as reported by EurekAlert!.

The new generation of blood thinning blood includes rivaroxaban (Xarelto®), dabigatran (Pradaxa®), apixaban (Eliquis®) and edoxaban (Savaysa®). These new medications are effective and safe option to treat atrial fibrillation in most patients, wrote Rochelle Sweis, DO and José Biller, MD in a report.

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a common type of irregular heartbeat, and the number of people who area affected by this condition is continuously increasing.

While having the condition, the electrical signals that regulate the heartbeat become inconsistent causing the upper chambers of the heart to quiver making the blood to stop flowing properly. This will then result to blood clot, which causes the stroke once the clot reached the brain. A person with AFib is five times more likely to suffer stroke.

Blood thinning medications reduces the risk of stroke by approximately 70 percent. Warfarin, along with the other old generation blood thinners known as vitamin K antagonists, has been proven effective in reducing the risk of stroke and blood clot. These medications required close monitoring and adjustments in dosage to make sure that the drug will not thin the blood too much, which may cause major bleeding.

Patients under blood thinning medication bust avoid eating foods rich in vitamin K like Brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, green tea and parsley.