Aspirin: Heart Hero or Health Hazard?

For decades, a daily low-dose aspirin was a common recommendation for preventing heart attacks and strokes in many adults. However, medical understanding has shifted dramatically over the past 20 years. Current research indicates that for individuals without pre-existing cardiovascular disease, the benefits of daily aspirin are minimal while the risks of side effects, such as bleeding and, in rare instances, life-threatening brain haemorrhages, are significantly increased.

In response to evolving evidence, official guidance has been tightened. By 2021, the NHS recommended daily aspirin only upon a doctor's prescription. More recently, in 2023, health officials proposed not routinely offering aspirin to prevent a first heart attack. While the NHS still advises patients who have experienced a heart attack or stroke to take daily aspirin due to outweighing benefits, many healthy individuals remain unaware of the potential dangers of regular aspirin use.

Experts are now urging general practitioners to adequately warn patients about the risks associated with daily aspirin if it is not medically necessary. Alternative, safer, and more effective methods for reducing cardiovascular disease risk are now available, including specialist medications and lifestyle changes. Patients with existing cardiovascular issues who are concerned about aspirin may consider other blood-thinning medications or gastro-resistant aspirin varieties.