It has been known for some years that for people who have already had a heart attack or stroke, a daily dose of aspirin can reduce their chance of getting another, by up to 25%. Certain cancers also seem to be less likely to occur in people who regularly take aspirin, though the research on this is less extensive.

Because of these findings, some health professionals now suggest that even healthy people, who have no reason to expect they will have a heart attack or stroke, should take a small dose of aspirin every day to prevent further problems. This is much harder to prove, and there is a lot of disagreement about it. For one thing, it's not proven that the aspirin would have these benefits; for another, aspirin if taken for a long time can cause problems of its own, including stomach bleeding.

So if you're thinking about taking aspirin every day, you should definitely speak to your doctor first.