It's been a common practice for years for at-risk people of a certain age to take a low-dose aspirin daily to reduce the chances of having a heart attack or stroke.

"The latest information also shows a closer balance of benefits and harms than previously understood for people in their 50s and that starting aspirin use as young as 40 years old may have some benefit." (For reference: The 2016 guidance they're dialing back was for people ages 50–59 with a high risk of cardiovascular disease but low risk of side effects to take low-dose aspirin daily; and for people over 60 to make their own, individual decision.).

The USPSTF also says that the updated guidance only applies to people who are at higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease (as determined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association risk calculator), have no history of cardiovascular disease, and are not already taking a daily aspirin.

"When deciding whether patients should start taking aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, clinicians should consider age, heart disease risk, and bleeding risk," the guidance says.

The USPSTF's draft guidance is the latest in changing recommendations around the common practice of taking low-dose aspirin to ward off a heart attack or stroke.

If you're already taking a daily aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke and haven't had one in the past, it's a good idea to check in with your doctor to see if it's still something you should continue, Sanjiv Patel, MD, board-certified interventional cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., tells Health.

If you already had a heart attack or stroke and are taking a daily aspirin under your doctor's care, however, the USPSTF says that you should continue to do so