“When should I take aspirin?” Limited data show evening may be better, but in reality it doesn’t really matter. Aspirin works for a week, so whether you take it in the morning or evening doesn’t matter much. Just take it the same time every day for consistency & simplicity.

“Should I take aspirin to prevent heart disease?” It depends. Every medicine has benefits & risks. Aspirin inhibits platelets. So, the benefit is it can prevent heart attacks & strokes. On the other hand, the risk is it can cause bleeding. Who has greater benefit than risk?

📍In this group, BENEFIT is higher so aspirin is commonly recommended (if prescribed by your doctor): -Prior heart attack -Prior stroke/TIA -Prior stent (cardiac, carotid, other vascular) -Prior cardiac bypass surgery -Coronary artery disease -Coronary calcium score >100

📍For this group, RISK is higher so aspirin is NOT indicated: -Prior major bleeding (such as GI bleed) and no known cardiovascular disease (CVD). -No CVD and low risk of future CVD events as estimated by your doctor.

📍For this last group the benefit/risk ratio is less certain, so you should discuss with your doctor: -Patients without CVD but with diabetes. -Patients without CVD but at increased risk of future CVD. -Coronary calcium score 1-100 -Patients with elevated Lipoprotein(a)

Finally, remember that the best way to prevent heart disease is not aspirin. The best way is to “promote a healthy lifestyle THROUGHOUT LIFE.” See the full joint @American_Heart @ACCinTouch guidelines here (co-chaired by my mentor & friend @rblument1)👇🏼 ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/…