Talk to your doctor about taking aspirin for heart protection but don't assume that it's right for you. A recent clinical trial suggested that healthy women younger than age 65 don't get heart protection from aspirin. Women who are the best candidates for long-term aspirin are age 65 or older or have a history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. And be aware that aspirin has some serious risks, including gastrointestinal bleeding.

-Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School