FDA Warns That Daily Aspirin is "Not For Everyone"

Daily aspirin use can help prevent health attack and other cardiovascular complications in some people, but for most, the known risks outweigh the unproven benefits of the daily regimen, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports.

The U.S. FDA released a report in Consumer Updates on Monday that details how aspirin should only be used in a daily regimen to reduce the risks of heart attack and stroke after consulting a physician "who can weigh the benefits and risks."

According to the report, it has been well known by health officials since the 1990s that victims of a recent heart attack, stroke, or people with cardiovascular disease are less likely to experience more cardiovascular complications -- such as another heart attack -- if they take a daily low dose or aspirin.

This is because aspirin is  a proven blood thinner, making blood clotting in the arteries -- the cause of heart attacks and strokes -- less likely to occur.

However, the FDA warns that while daily low-dose aspirin has been proven itself an effective preventative treatment for at-risk patients, the same regimen has not been conclusively linked to any preventative benefits in healthy people.

Instead, researchers have only revealed the risks associated with taking blood thinners on a daily basis -- such as bleeding in the brain or stomach.

"[A]fter carefully examining scientific data from major studies, FDA has concluded that the data do not support the use of aspirin as a preventive medication by people who have not had a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular problems, a use that is called 'primary prevention,'" the report concludes.

Still, Robert Temple, M.D., deputy director for clinical science at the FDA adds that there are a number of ongoing clinical studies that are investigating the use of aspirin as a form of primary prevention in healthy subjects, and the FDA "will continue to examine the evidence as it emerges."

The FDA Consumer Update was published on May 5.