London (England) - Taking low doses of aspirin can reduce the
risk of many kinds of cancer, scientists say.
And the evidence is strong enough to suggest people older than 40 should
take it daily as protection.
In
a study of eight trials involving 25,570 patients, researchers found that
cancer deaths among those who took aspirin in doses as low as 75mg a day were
21 per cent lower during the studies and 34 per lower after five years.
The
study found that aspirin protect people against gastrointestinal cancers the
most. Previous studies have found that
taking aspirin can reduce risk of developing colon or bowel cancer and
suggested it does so by blocking the enzyme cyclooxygenas2 which promotes
inflammation and cell division and is found in high levels in tumours.
Peter Rothwell of
Oxford University, the study author,
said while taking aspirin carries a small risk of stomach bleeding, that
risk was beginning to be “drowned out” by its benefits in reducing the risk of
cancer and heart attacks.
