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Is taking an aspirin every

day good for your heart
health?
5 min read

by HealthPartners

Have you heard you should take a “baby” or low-dose

aspirin every day to keep heart problems away? The
truth is that taking a low-dose aspirin each day (also
called “aspirin therapy”) is only a good idea for a small
number of people.

The guidelines for aspirin therapy continue to change

as researchers learn more about the benefits and risks
of taking a daily aspirin. So, there’s a chance that the
current recommendations for using aspirin to prevent
heart disease are different than what you’ve heard
before.

Read on to learn about taking aspirin for your heart,

what we’ve learned from clinical research and current
recommendations.

First, what is low-dose aspirin?

As you might expect, low-dose aspirin is a smaller
dose of aspirin. A regular strength aspirin is typically
325 milligrams (mg) and a low-dose aspirin is below
100 mg (typically 81 mg).

Is low-dose aspirin the same as “baby”

aspirin?

You may have heard people talk about “baby” aspirin.

But here’s the thing: you can no longer buy “baby”
aspirin, which were chewable, low doses of aspirin.
That’s a good thing because aspirin should never be
given to babies or anyone younger than 12 years old
without a doctor’s recommendation.

You can still get a chewable low-dose aspirin – it’s just

that they are now labeled for adult use only.

What does aspirin do?

Aspirin is a common medication. You’ve likely used
aspirin to lower a fever, reduce inflammation or
provide relief from aches and pain. But aspirin also
acts as a “blood thinner” and prevents the platelets in
your blood from clumping together to form a blood
clot.

Why do people take low-dose

aspirin for their hearts?
The main reason people take aspirin for their hearts is
to prevent blood clots in their arteries – or to stop
them from getting worse. Blood clots can block blood
flow to the heart and are very dangerous. In fact,
blood clots are the leading cause of heart attacks and
strokes.

Your doctor may recommend you take aspirin for your

heart at the following times:

During a cardiac event

If you notice signs of a heart attack, it’s good to chew

aspirin (2-4 low-dose or one regular strength) while
you’re waiting for the ambulance. This is to help keep
the blood from clotting so that the blood flow to your
heart isn’t completely blocked.

Preventing heart disease

Taking a low-dose aspirin each day may help prevent a

heart attack or stroke in people who’ve never had one
– but it’s not for everyone. If you’re at low risk for
heart disease, taking a daily aspirin probably isn’t worth
it (we’ll get into this more later).

Preventing another heart event

If you’ve already had a heart attack or stroke, aspirin

therapy may be recommended to help prevent
another stroke or heart attack. There’s a lot of research
showing that aspirin therapy can be effective for
people who already have heart disease.

So, is it safe to take aspirin daily?

Here’s what the research tells us
Researchers continue to study how aspirin affects the
heart. Here are things we’ve learned:

Benefits are greater in people with a higher

risk of cardiovascular disease

If you have significant risk factors for heart disease,

taking a daily aspirin may reduce the chance of having
non-fatal heart attacks and strokes. But if you’re at low
risk of heart disease, aspirin therapy doesn’t reduce
your chances of a heart attack or strokes.

Aspirin can be dangerous for some people

Like most other medications, aspirin has side effects.

The biggest heart benefit – its blood thinning quality –
can also be one of its biggest drawbacks.

Studies show that aspirin therapy significantly

increases your chances of gastrointestinal bleeding, as
well as increases your chances of intracranial bleeding.
Because aspirin keeps blood from clotting, this can
lead to serious bleeding issues.

Plus, regular use of low-dose aspirin can cause

changes in your heart's rhythm and lead to heart
palpitations. Some studies show regular use of aspirin
is linked to an increased chance of atrial fibrillation –
an irregular heartbeat in the upper chambers of your
heart.

Because of the potential risks, daily aspirin isn’t

recommended if you take other blood thinning
medications or have:

Bleeding or clotting disorders

Inflammation, ulcers or bleeding in your
intestines
Severe liver disease
Kidney failure

Benefits of aspirin therapy decrease as you

get older (while risks increase)

An older heart age is one of the biggest risk factors for

cardiovascular disease. But aspirin therapy becomes
less safe and beneficial as you get older. The current
recommendations say that aspirin therapy should not
be used to prevent a heart attack in people who are
over 60 years old. Even if you’ve safely been on aspirin
therapy for a while, your doctor may recommend you
stop aspirin therapy when you’re around 75 years old.

Aspirin therapy offers little benefit in people

under age 40

If you’re under age 40 and haven’t had a heart attack

or stroke, it is unlikely that aspirin therapy will provide
benefits.

Aspirin therapy shouldn’t be used with other

blood thinners

Research shows that combining aspirin therapy with

other blood thinners doesn’t provide more protection
than using a blood thinner by itself. According to a
study published in 2022 , reducing aspirin use in
patients on Warfarin leads to less bleeding and lower
health care needs without an increase in heart attacks
and strokes.

Low-dose aspirin can help with high blood

pressure – but there are better treatments

People often ask, can low-dose aspirin help with high

blood pressure? Yes, some studies show that taking an
aspirin may be associated with a small decrease in
blood pressure. However, aspirin is not recommended
for high blood pressure as there are many other
medications that are more effective.

Who should take aspirin therapy to

prevent heart attacks? Here’s the
latest clinical guidelines
Current guidelines from the United States Preventive
Services Task Force (USPSTF) say that aspirin therapy
may help prevent non-fatal heart attacks and strokes
in people who are:

40 to 59 years old
Have a 10% or greater chance of cardiovascular
disease within the next 10 years
Are not at increased risk for bleeding
Willing to take low-dose aspirin every day

These guidelines are based, in part, on the results of

the ASPREE study which looked at how daily aspirin
affected health outcomes and quality of life in the
elderly. The HealthPartners Institute participated in the
research and found that aspirin does not prolong
healthy, independent living among older adults.

We’re here for you and your heart

It’s great that you want to take steps to protect your
heart. And it’s possible that taking a daily aspirin may
reduce your chances of having a heart attack or
stroke. But it’s also possible that aspirin therapy isn’t a
good option for you.

The bottom line is that you should talk to your primary

doctor or cardiologist before starting aspirin. They can
help you figure out whether aspirin therapy makes
sense for you based on the potential benefits and risks.
Plus, they can suggest other changes to reduce your
chance of heart disease – including heart-friendly
workouts and a heart-healthy diet.

Schedule an appointment

Meet with a primary care doctor

Meet with a cardiologist

Share

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