Taking Baby Aspirin Daily: The Pros and Cons for Those 60+

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

You’ve probably heard that old saying, but what about this one: “An aspirin a day keeps heart attacks at bay?”

For years, that seemed like a prescription for good senior health. Doctors knew aspirin reduces the chance that blood clots will form and cause a heart attack or stroke. So they told patients to take a daily low-dose aspirin (typically 81mg), even if they weren’t in a high-risk group. As of 2021, 30% of adults ages 60 and up were doing just that.

Aspirin therapy sounds pretty harmless. It might even seem like one of those “can’t hurt, might help” recommendations. After all, you might ask, how dangerous can a baby aspirin be?

Pretty dangerous, it turns out.

The Problem with Baby Aspirin

Taking aspirin daily can cause bleeding in your stomach and intestines, among other problems. Symptoms of gastrointestinal bleeding include vomiting blood, feeling lightheaded or having black, tarry stools. These problems can happen even with coated aspirin, which is designed to pass through the stomach without dissolving.

In 2022, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against using low-dose aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD). In fact, they gave aspirin therapy a D grade for adults 60 and up. (They gave aspirin therapy a C grade for adults 40 to 59, with at least a 10% chance of developing CVD in the next 10 years.)

What’s the USPSTF, you ask? It’s a group of experts in preventive medicine and primary care who make recommendations based on research findings. In this case, they looked at dozens of research studies. Some of those focused on the benefits of aspirin therapy; others focused on its risks.

The USPSTF recommendation only applies to people who don’t show any signs or symptoms of CVD. That’s an important point. The group didn’t say that aspirin therapy is always bad — just that it shouldn’t be used by most healthy people.

Who Should Still Get Aspirin Therapy?

Your doctor may still recommend aspirin therapy if:

• You’ve had a heart attack or stroke,
• You’re at risk of having another one, and
• You’re under 70 years old.

However, aspirin therapy is a bad idea in these cases:

• You have an aspirin allergy or intolerance.
• You’re at risk for gastrointestinal bleeding or hemorrhagic stroke.
• You regularly drink alcohol.
• You plan to undergo a simple medical or dental procedure (because of the risk of excess bleeding).

Note: most adults can still take aspirin occasionally to treat headaches, body aches and fever. Of course, your pharmacy also offers several other drugs that can treat those conditions.

Whatever you do, don’t start — or stop — taking a daily baby aspirin without talking with your doctor first.

How Else Can I Reduce My CVD Risk?

Aspirin therapy isn’t the only way to prevent heart attack and stroke. You should also:

• Eat a healthy diet
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Get regular physical activity
• Avoid smoking
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Keep your blood pressure under control
• Keep your diabetes under control

Of course, those things help you in lots of other ways, too!

Three Big Takeaways

As we’ve seen, aspirin therapy is a complicated topic. That’s often the case with medicine, which is why you have to pay attention to the details.

That’s one big takeaway from the baby aspirin question. Here are two more:

• Every medicine can have side effects. That includes over-the-counter drugs and supplements.
• Your doctor needs to know everything you’re taking, including prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs and supplements. Some drugs can interact with other drugs, and even foods, in dangerous ways.

Finally, if you have questions about aspirin therapy — or anything else — talk with your ArchWell Health doctor. They’re on your side, and committed to your best health.