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An influential government task force today granted its highest endorsement to the practice of taking aspirin to help people at increased risk of heart attacks.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force, an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services, said that for many people, the benefits of regular aspirin use clearly outweighed the risks. The recommendation appears in The Annals of Internal Medicine.

The task force reported that it "found good evidence that aspirin decreases the incidence of coronary heart disease in adults who are at increased risk for heart disease."

But since aspirin can increase the risk of internal bleeding and one type of stroke, the report urged people to discuss the issue with their doctors and not simply start taking the drug on their own.

There has long been evidence that aspirin can prolong life for some people by reducing the risk of heart attack and the most common type of stroke. Many heart attack survivors take it, as do those considered at risk. But the recommendation of the task force will likely increase usage. The question of what is the best dosage, though, remains unresolved.

Deciding who is at higher risk, and as such would benefit from aspirin, is complex, but the task force pointed to, among other people, men over 40, postmenopausal women and people who smoke or have high blood pressure or diabetes.