Many people still believe the benefits of taking an aspirin every day to prevent heart attacks and strokes outweigh the potential dangers – despite experts warning of the contrary more than five years ago.
New findings from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania show that 48% of adults believe the heart health benefits of taking a low-dose aspirin — 81mg or less — are greater than the risks of bleeding in the stomach, intestines and brain. However, research has shown this is only true for people who have a higher likelihood of heart attack or stroke.
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[I]n 2019, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association stopped recommending daily aspirin for adults over 70, because it can prevent clots in wounds. That risk, particularly for gastrointestinal bleeding, was deemed higher than the heart health benefits of aspirin…
Despite this, almost 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. without a history of heart attack or stroke take a low-does aspirin regularly, the Annenberg Center found. [A]mong people ages 40 to 59…18% regularly [take] a low-dose aspirin and 43% [believe] the heart health benefits outweigh the risks.
