Doctors stopped recommending routine daily aspirin for most people years ago, but many people continue to take it despite evidence that it doesn’t increase healthy lifespan for most older adults and may carry long-term risks like bleeding and cancer.
The issue was spotlighted recently after The Wall Street Journal reported President Donald Trump, 79, takes 325 milligrams daily — a higher dose than the recommended 81 milligrams used for cardiovascular disease prevention. The disclosure reignited concern among medical experts and clinicians, who stressed that a higher dose increases risks without extra benefits for most people.
Even with mounting evidence and updated guidance, confusion and outdated beliefs about aspirin persist.
“Part of it is that you can buy aspirin without a prescription. And historically, people thought it was good for them,” said Anne Murray, MD, a geriatrician and epidemiologist at Hennepin HealthCare Research Institute in Minneapolis. “Changing [medical] practice really takes a generation, and I think that is what we’re seeing.”
For decades, clinicians and public health authorities actively promoted aspirin for prevention, especially for heart attacks. In 2022, that recommendation narrowed to include only people who’ve already had a stroke or heart attack (and those who’ve had a stent in an artery).
But that messaging hasn’t been effectively communicated with the public, experts say. One analysis showed that more than 1 in 10 adults who shouldn’t be taking preventative aspirin were still doing so in 2023.
Amid the confusion, you may have heard one of these myths.
Myth 1: “Daily aspirin will keep me healthy for longer.”
This is false for most older adults who’ve never had a heart attack or stroke. A landmark 2018 aspirin study — co-authored by Murray — found daily low-dose aspirin did not extend healthy lifespan (defined as avoiding physical disability, dementia onset, or death) in healthy adults ages 70 and up. A follow-up study that continued to track those adults for several more years and was published in September reached the same conclusion: Aspirin does not help people live a longer or healthier life, even years after the original trial ended.
Myth 2: “Aspirin can prevent heart problems.”
This is true only for some people. Older research once suggested a daily baby aspirin was good for heart health, but later studies have shown that aspirin therapy is linked to greater bleeding and cancer risks than was first known. That’s why modern-day aspirin science points to a careful harm-benefit tradeoff analysis best done by your doctor.
If you’ve had a heart attack or stroke, your doctor will take all your health information into account when deciding whether to prescribe aspirin to ensure the benefits outweigh the risks.
If you have no history of heart problems and want to keep it that way, both Murray and Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, MD, suggest focusing on the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, which include optimizing your weight and blood pressure and exercising regularly. Lifestyle and risk management are the proven ways to lower heart risk.
Myth 3: “If it’s over the counter and low-dose, aspirin is harmless.”
Just because it’s available doesn’t mean it’s risk-free. The original 2018 study showed a 38% increased risk of bleeding for healthy older people who took preventative aspirin for five years.
Only take daily aspirin if it’s prescribed to you by your doctor, said Lloyd-Jones, a past president of the AHA and preventive medicine section chief at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine in Massachusetts.
Myth 4: “Thinner blood is always better – so higher doses are more effective.”
“More is not better,” said Lloyd-Jones. “Studies have shown that low-dose aspirin — 81 milligrams daily — is as effective as high-dose aspirin for preventing the types of blood clots that can cause most heart attacks and strokes. Taking higher doses — like 325 milligrams daily — increases the risk of bleeding with no extra benefit or protection.”
Myth 5: “I’ve been taking aspirin and have no bleeding problems, so it’s safe.”
Just because you haven’t had bleeding so far doesn’t mean it’s safe. Aspirin increases bleeding risk, and that risk falls once you stop taking it, according to an analysis published in November 2025.
Myth 6: “Aspirin prevents cancer.”
Aspirin’s link to cancer risk isn’t fully understood and is especially concerning in older adults. While studies have found that some people who regularly take aspirin have a lower risk of certain cancers, like colorectal cancer, the findings are nuanced.
Another analysis from Murray and colleagues’ long-term trial showed that older people who took aspirin to prevent a first-time heart attack or stroke had an increased risk of developing cancer, and in particular, being diagnosed at stage 3 or later. The “findings suggest that in older persons, aspirin may accelerate the progression of cancer and, thus, suggest caution with its use in this age group,” said Murray.
Myth 7: “If someone else takes extra aspirin, I can too.”
Personal choice is not medical advice. Your primary care doctor can calculate your risk for heart attack and other cardiovascular problems, which is heavily impacted by your family history and age. A personalized risk assessment and prevention plan is the best path forward, and since age is such an important factor, annual visits to your primary care doctor are increasingly important as you age.
Credit: webmd
