For many years, taking one small “baby” aspirin every day was widely believed to be one of the best ways to help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Doctors often advised adults, especially older people and those with health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, to make low-dose aspirin part of their daily routine.
Aspirin works by making blood less likely to form clots. Blood clots can block blood flow to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke. Because of this, aspirin became one of the most common medicines used for heart protection.
However, medical knowledge changes as new research becomes available. Over the past several years, scientists have learned that daily aspirin is not the safest choice for everyone.
Although it can reduce the chance of harmful blood clots, it also increases the risk of serious bleeding.
This bleeding may happen in the stomach, intestines, or even the brain. The risk becomes higher as people grow older because blood vessels become more fragile and the body does not recover as easily from bleeding.
A new study from Johns Hopkins University has now shown that many older Americans are still taking daily low-dose aspirin even though medical experts no longer recommend it for most healthy adults over the age of 70.
The researchers examined health information from more than 7,100 adults in the United States who were at least 60 years old. They wanted to find out how many people were still using low-dose aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke.
Their findings showed that between 50% and 62% of adults over 70 were taking aspirin every day. The researchers also estimated that nearly 10 million older Americans who are not considered to have a high risk of heart disease may be taking aspirin without receiving clear health benefits.
The research was published by the Johns Hopkins University team and adds to growing evidence that many people continue following advice that was common years ago but has since changed.
Today, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recommend that most adults over 70 who have never had a heart attack or stroke should not take daily aspirin to prevent heart disease. For many people in this age group, the increased danger of serious bleeding is greater than the possible benefit of preventing a first heart problem.
This does not mean aspirin is no longer useful. It remains an important medicine for people who have already experienced a heart attack or stroke.
In these cases, taking aspirin every day can help lower the chance of another serious event, and the benefits usually outweigh the risks. Doctors call this secondary prevention because it helps prevent another illness after one has already happened.
The advice is different for people who have never had heart disease. Years ago, aspirin was often recommended simply because someone had risk factors such as diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, or high blood pressure.
Today, doctors have many other ways to reduce these risks. Healthy eating, regular physical activity, quitting smoking, controlling blood pressure, and taking cholesterol-lowering medicines such as statins often provide heart protection without increasing the risk of dangerous bleeding.
For adults between the ages of 40 and 70, daily aspirin may still be appropriate in some situations. Doctors consider each person’s overall health, their chance of developing heart disease, and their risk of bleeding before making a recommendation. This is why medical advice is now much more personal than it was in the past.
Many older adults are still taking aspirin simply because they started years ago when the recommendations were different. They may never have discussed whether they should continue. Experts encourage people not to stop aspirin on their own.
Instead, they should talk with their doctor or another healthcare professional before making any changes. A healthcare provider can review a person’s medical history and decide whether aspirin is still the safest option.
Regular medication reviews are important, especially as people age. Medicines that were helpful years earlier may no longer provide the same benefits, and new evidence may lead to better treatment choices. Checking medications from time to time helps make sure they are still necessary and safe.
The new findings are an important reminder that medical advice continues to improve as scientists learn more. If you are over 70 and take a baby aspirin every day to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, it may be worth asking your doctor whether it is still the right choice for your health.
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