People who use aspirin daily are at lower risk of COLON CANCER, study suggests trends now
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People who take aspirin every day may be at lower risk of developing colon cancer, a study suggests.
The common painkiller appears to supercharge immune cells in the digestive tract which help fend off tumor cells from multiplying and spreading.
Other studies have linked aspirin use to an up to 40 percent lower risk of colon cancer.
But researchers do not recommend using the OTC drug as a preventative because it can lead to stomach ulcers, internal bleeding and even strokes.
The over-the-counter medication is typically used to reduce inflammation and make blood less thick, reducing the risk of a heart attack or stroke (stock image)
The above graph shows colon cancer cases among under 50s by year. There is a drop in 2020 because the Covid pandemic led to fewer people coming forward for screenings
Dr Mona Rezapour, a gastroenterologist at UCLA, said in response to previous research: 'We know that aspirin reduces the risk of colon cancer.
'But we don't recommend it to the general population yet because the benefits don't outweigh the risks for everyone.'
For the study, researchers analyzed tissue samples from 238 colon cancer patients who were diagnosed with the disease between 2015 and 2019.
Of these, 12 percent — or 29 people — were found to be long-term aspirin users.
A comparison of the two groups showed that
