Aspirin has long been seen as a simple way to prevent serious illness, but doctors are now questioning whether healthy adults benefit from taking it at all.
There are habits most people no longer stop to think about. A pill taken with breakfast, a glass of water, and the sense of doing something responsible for your health. For many adults, aspirin has quietly become part of that routine.
For decades, the drug has been linked to protection against heart attacks and strokes.
But as medical knowledge evolves, cardiologists are increasingly reassessing whether daily aspirin still makes sense for people without underlying health problems.
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Widespread use without diagnosis
Aspirin remains one of the most commonly used medicines in the UK. According to MailOnline, more than two million people take it every day, often as a preventive measure rather than on medical advice.
Because aspirin thins the blood, it has traditionally been viewed as a safeguard against blood clots.
This has encouraged many adults, particularly older people, to take low-dose aspirin despite never having experienced cardiovascular disease.
Current NHS guidance, however, primarily recommends daily aspirin for people who have already had a heart attack or stroke, or who face a clearly increased risk.
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Shifting medical views
Recent research and clinical experience suggest that healthy adults gain little protection from daily aspirin use.
At the same time, newer and more targeted treatments have reduced the drug’s role in prevention.
Professor Malcolm Finlay of Barts Heart Centre in London has warned, according to MailOnline, that routine aspirin use among healthy people may do more harm than good.
He has pointed to lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise as more effective tools with fewer risks.
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Risks often overlooked
Although aspirin is familiar, it is not harmless. Regular use increases the risk of bleeding, including potentially serious internal bleeding.
Possible side effects include:
- stomach irritation and digestive discomfort
- increased tendency to bleed
- in rare cases, internal or brain bleeding
Doctors also urge caution for people with asthma and certain chronic conditions. The message from experts is not universal alarm, but a call for individual assessment before turning daily aspirin into a lifelong habit.
Sources: DailyMail and LADbible
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