Aspirin use can help prevent colon cancer, according to a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine. A study of more than 112,000 Danes took advantage of the country’s excellent medical records that carefully track medication use.
Aspirin and NSAIDs Are Prescribed:
In Denmark doctors prescribe most of the aspirin that is taken as wells as other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen. The prescription histories of approximately 10,000 people with colon cancer were compared to those of 100,000 individuals without colon cancer.
Long-Term Aspirin Use:
Those who had taken low-dose aspirin (75 to 150 mg/day) continuously for five years or longer were 27 percent less likely to have colon cancer than those who didn’t take aspirin or took it only sporadically.
Cox-2 Inhibitor NSAIDs:
People who had taken non-aspirin pain relievers regularly were also less likely to have colon cancer. That association was strongest for cox-2 inhibitors such as celecoxib taken for years at a relatively high dose. People on that regimen were more than 40 percent less likely to have colon cancer.
This is just the latest research to show that aspirin use can reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Many other studies have shown that aspirin can protect against a wide range of other deadly cancers. Find out which ones at this link.
Side Effects:
However, both aspirin and other NSAIDs have the potential to cause serious side effects such as bleeding ulcers, so most experts recommend that people who would like to take one of these for cancer prevention should check with their health care provider first.
