New study suggests daily aspirin no longer needed for heart health

For years, taking a daily, low dose aspirin has been a common practice to prevent a heart attack.

Now, millions of people may need to rethink that method.

A new study done by Harvard researchers suggests taking a daily aspirin with no prior history of heart disease may be doing more harm than good.

“There was a modest improvement or prevention of lowering cardiac events, however there was a significant risk of bleeding, too,” said Dr. Anu Tunuguntla, an interventional cardiologist at CHI Nebraska Heart.

That bleeding came in the form of brain bleeds or GI bleeding, often in the stomach or intestines, which can lead to ulcers.

The biggest problem was in elderly patients, who had been taking aspirin as a preventative measure the longest.

Those patients already have a high risk of bleeding, and adding aspirin plus any other medications into the mix was hurting, not helping.

“In these patients especially, because they’re on blood thinner for another condition, if you add aspirin on top of it, that significantly , exponentially increases their bleeding risk,” Dr. Anu said.

Dr. Anu says doctors now need to have the conversation with their patients about this new research, and help them understand that something they once thought was beneficial, may actually be causing more problems than it solves.

But this new data doesn’t mean everyone should stop taking a daily, low dose aspirin.

“Any person who has had a heart attack, stroke, stents, any vascular event, bypass surgery – please do not stop taking your aspirin!” Dr. Anu said.

Also, people with high cardiovascular risk, such as diabetes, hypertension, or high cholesterol, and fall between the ages of 50-60 may also need to continue their aspirin use.

As with any medication change, always consult with your doctor first before stopping or starting a new medicine.

You can find the study results and new heart-healthy guidelines from the American Heart Association here.