Scientists now believe aspirin has little benefit for the majority of healthy individuals after years of recommending it to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Also, it may increase the risk of bleeding in your stomach or brain as you become older.
New guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says people over the age of 60 should not start taking daily, low-dose aspirin to prevent cardiovascular events like heart attacks or strokes
If you’re between the age of 40 to 59, the USPSTF recommends that you and your doctor discuss whether you should take a daily aspirin in certain situations.
“If you are really healthy, if you’re a healthy 40-year-old with no major risk factors, you will do more harm than good with daily aspirin. Your risk of bleeding will exceed the benefits,” said Dr. Steven Nissen, chair of cardiovascular medicine at Cleveland Clinic. “People need to understand that aspirin is not a completely benign or innocent therapy.”
If you’ve had a heart attack, stroke, or other heart problems and your doctor has prescribed daily aspirin, don’t stop taking it; instead, discuss the updated guidelines with them.
“In secondary prevention, aspirin is important. If you have a stent if you’ve had a myocardial infarction or a stroke, for all those people, aspirin works. It provides a modest but definite benefit,” Nissen said.
Aspirin regimen
The USPSTF is an independent committee of disease prevention and medical specialists from throughout the country. It makes recommendations to assist doctors to make better decisions. Their recommendations have an impact on the reimbursement decisions of insurance companies.
Aspirin works by inhibiting the production of certain natural chemicals that produce pain and swelling in the body. It can help reduce blood clotting. It is why doctors have suggested it for years to prevent cardiovascular issues such as heart attack and stroke.
If you are in the 40-to-59 age range and have a 10% or higher 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease, your doctor may want to consider an aspirin regimen, according to the recommendations. They were also published Tuesday in JAMA.
This implies your chances of having a heart attack or stroke in the next ten years are higher than average. It is based on a formula that takes into account characteristics such as age, gender, race, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, medication use, diabetes status, and smoking status. A daily aspirin likewise only “has a small net benefit” for this group, according to the task force.