Daily dose of aspirin keeps cancer at bay

A new study has revealed that taking a daily dose of aspirin reduces the risk of cancer.

According to the study, more than 6,000 lives could be saved a year if everyone in the UK between the ages of 50 and 65 took a daily aspirin to cut their risk of cancer, heart attack and stroke, the Independent reported.

The study showed that the drug has shown to reduce risk for a number of cancers, chiefly those of the digestive tract such as bowel cancer, stomach cancer and cancer of the oesophagus, or gullet, however, there have been concerns that side effects including stomach bleeding and ulcers may counteract any benefits, and the drugs are not currently recommended for otherwise healthy people as a form of cancer prevention.

The researchers have found that deaths from bowel cancer could be cut by 40 per cent, oesophageal cancer by 50 per cent and stomach cancer by 35 per cent.

Lead researcher of the study, Jack Cuzick, said that taking an aspirin was not an excuse for maintaining an unhealthy lifestyle and said patients should be consulting their GPs before embarking on a daily drug regime.

However, he said that, overall, otherwise healthy 50-year-olds should consider aspirins "a good bet" to cut cancer risk.