New Guidelines Suggest Aspirin Has No Impact on Preventing Heart Attacks

Stop wasting your money on aspirin! Recent findings have shown your daily dose of aspirin is, at best, a waste of money for healthy adults.

For decades, doctors have told patients a daily dose of aspirin could help you prevent heart attacks and heart disease. However, it is no longer being recommended as a preventative measure for older adults. According to guidelines released Sunday by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the decades-old recommendation is no longer valid.

Like most things with medicine, doctors and researchers are learning more every day. Because of this, they regularly change health recommendations. European guidelines have warned against using anti-clotting medication (like aspirin) at any age.

“For the most part, we are now much better at treating risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes and especially high cholesterol,” said cardiologist Dr. Kevin Campbell. “This makes the biggest difference, probably negating any previously perceived aspirin benefit in primary prevention.”

Researchers pointed out clinicians should be selective in prescribing aspirin to individuals that do not have existing cardiovascular disease. It is more important for patients to focus on lifestyle changes, such as smoking and healthy eating.

Now, Dr. Campbell stated, it is now a class 2b recommendation, which means it isn’t necessarily the best course of action when it comes to preventing heart disease. The data simply isn’t definitive. All in all, doctors need to individualize treatment for patients.

That isn’t to say aspirin doesn’t have its benefits. For older high-risk patients (folks who have had a stroke, heart attack, or open-heart surgery), it can be life-saving. It can also help lower cholesterol and manage blood sugar. As long as the patient has no risk of internal bleeding, it should be safe.

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Amanda Blankenship

Amanda Blankenship is the Chief Editor for District Media.  With a BA in journalism from Wingate University, she frequently writes for a handful of websites and loves to share her own personal finance story with others. When she isn’t typing away at her desk, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, son, husband, and dog. During her free time, you’re likely to find her with her nose in a book, hiking, or playing RPG video games.