--- title: Aspirin Taken Daily Could Prevent Heart Attacks, Group Says description: Aspirin can prevent heart attack, stroke, and colorectal cancer, group says canonical: https://time.com/4291338/aspirin-hearth-attack-prevention/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-12T20:32:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:54.983Z article:section: Health og:title: Some People Should Take Daily Aspirin to Prevent Heart Attack og:description: According to a panel of health experts og:url: https://time.com/4291338/aspirin-hearth-attack-prevention/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Some People Should Take Daily Aspirin to Prevent Heart Attack twitter:description: According to a panel of health experts twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Some People Should Take Daily Aspirin to Prevent Heart Attack, Health Groups Says > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: An Apple And An Aspirin A Day? [Watch (HLS stream): An Apple And An Aspirin A Day?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hcSWSq9K.m3u8) (1:12)  _Published 2015-09-15. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released new recommendations for daily use of aspirin, and it's causing some controversy._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Apr 12, 2016 8:32 PM UTC by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Apr 12, 2016 8:32 PM UTC Taking a daily low-dose aspirin can help adults who are at risk for heart disease prevent a heart attack and stroke as well as colorectal cancer, [according to an U.S. panel of health experts](http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/aspirin-to-prevent-cardiovascular-disease-and-cancer). The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently released [recommendations](http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/aspirin-to-prevent-cardiovascular-disease-and-cancer) that adults between ages 50 to 69 who have a higher risk for heart disease take daily aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke. There’s also some benefit, though lower, for people between ages 60 to 69 years old. They add that aspirin should be used by people who do not have a higher risk for gastrointestinal bleeding—which aspirin has been linked to in some cases—and they should take it every day for at least 10 years. For people that are taking the aspirin to prevent heart issues, it can also add protection against colon cancer. How much a person can benefit from a daily aspirin can depend on their risk for the disease, which can include smoking or high blood pressure. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration changed its aspirin guidelines cautioning that taking a daily aspirin if you haven’t already had a heart attack may not be that beneficial. Still, many doctors will recommend it for heart-related symptoms like chest pain. The agency does support the use of aspirin to prevent a secondary heart complication. You can read more about the USPSTF’s position [here](http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/aspirin-to-prevent-cardiovascular-disease-and-cancer) and the FDA’s position [here](http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm390574.htm). ## Transcript New recommendations from a federal group say an aspirin a day may help prevent colorectal cancer, strokes, and heart attacks. Not everyone is excited about the US Preventative Task Force's suggestion, though. Even a low dose of daily aspirin can lead to internal bleeding and other health complications. In 2014, the FDA published a report saying it's not a good idea to use aspirin as a primary tool to prevent a heart attack or stroke. Studies show there's an increased risk of bleeding for long term aspirin users. The issue here is why? It's a baby aspirin, what's the big deal? Yeah. It's 81 milligrams a day. Is that it's not necessarily a benign intervention. People can have GI bleeds, right? So they can have an ulcer that bleeds. Using aspirin to prevent colorectal cancer and heart disease definitely isn't for everyone. The task force says for the best results you need to have not had a heart attack before. Not have a risk for increased bleeding and be able to take the daily dose for at least ten years. Oh, and you need to be between the ages of 50 and 69. The task force has made controversial recommendations before. In 2009, the task force suggested women should wait until age Age 50 to start getting regular mammograms. 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