Women of all ages often ask if they should be taking a daily low-dose (81 mg) of baby aspirin to improve their heart health.  Well, yes and no, depending on your age. Mayo Clinic cardiologist Dr. Sharonne Hayes, founder and director of the Mayo Women’s Heart Clinic, explains:

“Guidelines urge women to be more aggressive about cutting their heart disease and stroke risks. One of the common recommendations is for women over 65 years of age to consider daily aspirin therapy.

“The aspirin recommendation comes out of the ongoing Women’s Health Initiative study, the largest study of heart disease risk factors in women.  In 2005, the WHI group released a study showing that the most consistent benefit of aspirin for heart attack prevention was observed among women 65 years of age or older.  Women in this age group who took aspirin had nearly one-third fewer cardiovascular events (heart attack and stroke) than did women who took a placebo. However, the women taking aspirin had more gastrointestinal bleeding as well. 

“The key word in these guidelines is ‘consider’.  The guidelines recommend that women ‘consider’ taking aspirin – which means have a discussion with your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking aspirin based on your own individual stroke and heart attack risks. The higher your risk of heart attack or stroke, the more that risk is reduced by taking aspirin, but the higher your risk is of bleeding.  So it’s a balance each woman needs to discuss with her physician.”

Here’s how aspirin works to affect heart health by interfering with your blood’s clotting action. When you bleed, your blood’s clotting cells, called platelets, accumulate at the site of any wound. The platelets help form a plug that seals the opening in your blood vessel to stop bleeding.

But this clotting can also happen within the vessels that supply your heart and brain with blood. If your blood vessels are already narrowed from atherosclerosis — the accumulation of fatty deposits in your arteries — a blood clot can quickly form and block the artery. This prevents blood flow to the heart or brain and causes a heart attack or stroke. Aspirin therapy can reduce the clumping action of platelets — possibly preventing heart attack and stroke along with the accompanying increase in bleeding.

NOTE:  This aspirin protocol does NOT apply to standard recommendation to immediately chew one full-strength aspirin (with water) if you believe you are having a heart attack.

Learn more about the aspirin/heart health connection from Mayo Clinic, or more on the mounting debate over aspirin therapy.

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