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Maybe Aspirin, Maybe Not Taking one a day isn't safe for everyone - here's what you need to know 
Maybe you pass on the bacon, walk more frequently and avoid stressful things like looking at your retirement account ... all actions protect your heart. But taking aspirin, which is cheap and easy to do, may be one of the most effective steps you can take to prevent heart attacks or stroke, say health researchers. Recently the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Rockville, Md., offered advice on taking aspirin to reduce your risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and their recommendations might encourage you to stock the medicine cabinet. However, unlike hitting the gym or trimming the fat in your diet, an aspirin regimen isn't for everyone, caution medical experts from the task force and elsewhere. "Aspirin is a drug. Like all drugs it has benefits and risks," says Michael S. Lauer, MD, with the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. Aspirin works in two major ways, says Matthew Sorrentino, MD, professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago Pritzer School of Medicine. The medication reduces the likelihood that blood clots will form and it reduces inflammation, which may benefit arteries. Although you probably don't think twice when taking aspirin for an occasional headache or minor pain, a daily dose is a different matter. There could be serious downsides when you use aspirin on a regular basis to fight heart disease. Talk to your physician first. You need to take your current and health history, other medications, age and gender into account when making the aspirin decision (see sidebar on evaluating your risk), say medical experts. Bleeding in the stomach or intestines, which can be mild or severe, is one of the more common side effects of taking aspirin, and that risk increases as you get older, Dr. Sorrentino says. Bleeding inside the brain is a potentially life-threatening, albeit rare occurrence, according to Dr. Lauer, director, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Md. Taking coated aspirin may reduce the risk of bleeding in the stomach, but not further down the GI tract or in the brain, according to Dr. Sorrentino. More isn't better when it comes to aspirin. Taking 75 to 81 milligrams a day is typical, but discuss that with your physician, Dr. Lauer says.
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Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"
