Leading heart doctor Andrew Ambrosy warns that low-dose aspirin may harm - more than help - healthy adults

Top cardiologist says many of the 29 million Americans taking a daily baby aspirin may be causing damage that could lead to internal bleeding

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardiologist Andrew P. Ambrosy, MD, MPH, said today that the millions of Americans who take a daily low-dose aspirin hoping to prevent a first heart attack or stroke may be setting themselves up for a different kind of serious health problem: internal bleeding.

"The research has shown us that a person with no history of heart attack or stroke who takes a daily baby aspirin is about as likely to have serious internal bleeding as to avoid a heart attack or stroke," said Dr. Ambrosy. "People taking a daily low-dose aspirin — what we often call a baby aspirin — need to remember that aspirin is not a vitamin. It shuts off platelets our blood cells need to form clots, and when you don't have those platelets, you can develop internal bleeding."

The heart doctor noted that in 2022 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force stopped recommending a daily baby aspirin for healthy people 60 years old and older who have never had a heart attack or stroke. That advice does not apply to people who already have heart disease, and no one should stop taking prescribed medicine without first talking to their doctor.

A large trial also found no benefit from a daily aspirin in healthy people aged 70 and up, and more bleeding among those who took it, Dr. Ambrosy said.

Even so, a recent poll found that one in six adults aged 50 to 80 still take a baby aspirin regularly. And 25% of these older folks taking a low-dose aspirin started doing so without a doctor's recommendation.

For adults who have had a heart attack or stroke, or who have had a stent placed, a daily baby aspirin may not even be the best choice, Dr. Ambrosy advised. "Yes, these patients should be on a medicine that keeps blood cells from clumping, but they should speak with their doctor to find out which drug is right for them," the heart doctor said.

For some patients, he noted, the anti-platelet medication clopidogrel (brand name Plavix) may be a better option. "In head-to-head trials, clopidogrel matched or beat aspirin at preventing heart attacks and strokes, with less bleeding in the stomach and intestines," Dr. Ambrosy said. Both aspirin and clopidogrel are inexpensive generics, although clopidogrel requires a prescription.

Dr. Ambrosy believes clinicians need to make sure their patients are aware that a daily low-dose aspirin is no longer recommended to prevent a first heart attack or stroke.

"Nobody should start or stop a medicine because of a story they read," Dr. Ambrosy said. "But healthy adults who are taking a daily baby aspirin should talk to their doctor about whether it's really keeping them healthier."

ABOUT DR. AMBROSY

Andrew P. Ambrosy, MD, MPH, is a physician-scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, with clinical and research expertise in heart, kidney, and metabolic conditions. Dr. Ambrosy's work focuses on how treatments actually perform for patients in everyday care, using both clinical trials and data from millions of real patient records.

SOURCE Andrew P. Ambrosy, MD, MPH