INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., and for years doctors recommended older adults take a daily Aspirin as a preventative measure.

But now, medical guidelines have changed on daily Aspirin use. Experts now say that taking an Aspirin a day won’t keep a heart attack away.

Every 33 seconds, someone in the U.S. dies from heart disease.

“In those patients, it’s always been assumed that Aspirin is beneficial, and it’s widely recommended,” said Dr. Anthony Bavry, interventional cardiologist at the University of Florida.

Aspirin’s blood thinning capabilities stop blood clots from forming, preventing a clot from blocking a vessel in your heart or brain and causing a heart attack or stroke. But two large multicenter trials, the arrive trial and the aspree trial, found that Aspirin did not decrease the risk for a second heart attack or stroke for patients who already had one. It did, however, increase the risk for major bleeding.

“Aspirin is associated with bleeding, oftentimes, in the form of gastrointestinal bleeding,” Bavry said.

Also, there were deaths attributed to Aspirin use in the aspree trial. Experts said the risks outweigh the benefits when it comes to daily Aspirin use. But despite doctors not recommending a daily Aspirin for patients over 60 with no known heart issues, about a third of adults 60 years and older take Aspirin when they shouldn’t. That’s more than 18 million people!

“If they said take it every six hours, that’s what I did. I didn’t even think about it. I just took more,” Bavry said.

So, who would benefit from taking a daily Aspirin? The Mayo Clinic said if you are between 40 and 59 years old with a high risk for a first-time heart attack or stroke within the next 10 years, the benefits of taking Aspirin still outweigh the risks.

If you are currently taking Aspirin, experts said it’s important to talk to your doctor before stopping.

Terminating a daily Aspirin regimen suddenly may trigger a blood clot and lead to a heart attack.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.