The humble aspirin -- already celebrated for helping prevent the recurrence of heart attacks and strokes in some people -- is now being touted as a possible aid in preventing colon cancer. Is the cheap drugstore painkiller the new wonder drug? Don't pop one daily before reading this.

• The benefits: Not just for treating pain from headaches and fevers anymore, daily aspirin is recommended by the American Heart Association for people who have suffered heart attacks, strokes caused by a blood clot or ``little strokes'' because clinical trials show aspirin helps prevent these events from happening again.

An article published this year by the Journal of Clinical Investigation found aspirin may also prevent liver damage. A daily dose of aspirin could halve the chances of developing colon cancer among those genetically at risk for the disease, according to a study published in September in the British Journal of Cancer.

• Aspirin therapy: Along with people who have already suffered heart attacks and some strokes, doctors may prescribe daily aspirin use for people who are at risk for such events, including those who smoke, have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, or a family history of heart problems.

But a study published this year in The Lancet suggests that some people who are merely at risk shouldn't be taking daily aspirin because they may be more likely to have gastrointestinal bleeding caused from taking aspirin. When prescribed, baby aspirin -- which contains 81 milligrams of aspirin, compared to 325 milligrams in an adult pill -- is considered the optimal dose for daily aspirin therapy, according to a 2007 review in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The Mayo Clinic warns that stopping daily aspirin therapy can have a rebound effect and trigger a blood clot. Nobody should start aspirin therapy without first consulting a physician.

• Risks: Although taking an occasional aspirin or two is safe for most adults to use for headaches, body aches or fever, daily use of aspirin can have serious side effects.

Aspirin is one of the top 10 causes of adverse drug events reported to the Commission on Human Medicines. It causes gastrointestinal bleeding and the risk of bleeding increases with age and prolonged use. Alcohol can increase the stomach risks. Aspirin should not be combined with the anticoagulant warfarin or ginkgo supplements, due to increased chances for excess bleeding. If you're taking aspirin and you must undergo even a simple surgical procedure or dental extraction, you must tell the surgeon or dentist your aspirin dosage.

Children with flu-like symptoms or chickenpox should not be given aspirin because of the risk of Reye's syndrome. People with asthma, stomach ulcers, mild diabetes and allergies to ibuprofen should seek medical advice before using aspirin.

• Heart attacks: For most people experiencing heart attack symptoms, chewing and swallowing one plain regular-strength aspirin or two to four baby aspirin is often recommended by emergency workers. But aspirin won't treat a heart attack by itself, so don't take one and wait for it to relieve pain before calling 911, says the American Heart Association. If you have certain bleeding disorders, you should not take an aspirin during a heart attack. Don't take aspirin if you think you're having a stroke, because not all strokes are caused by blood clots; some are caused by ruptured blood vessels. Taking aspirin could make a bleeding stroke more severe.

• Bottom line: It's not wise to start daily aspirin therapy on your own; get a doctor's approval first. More info at www.americanheart.org.

Get Smart appears every other week, and offers a quick overview of health and medical topics in the news. Got a question or suggested topic? E-mail jmailander@MiamiHerald.com.

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