Aspirin Can Lower Colon Cancer Risk Over Five Years: Study

Adding to a growing list of studies that found benefits in daily intake of aspirin and other non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, a new study found such drugs lowers colon cancer risk.

According to Health Day, the study found that participants who took low-dose aspirin or baby aspirin for five years had 27 percent lower risk of developing colon cancer. Other NSAID drugs like ibuprofen lowered risk by 30 to 45 percent. However, those taking the drugs irregularly did not reap any benefit.

"Unless low-dose aspirin is taken continuously, there is little protection against colorectal cancer," Dr. Soren Friis from the Danish Cancer Society Research Center in Copenhagen told Reuters Health.

For the study, researchers used data from 113,000 individuals to establish a link between NSAID and reduced cancer risk.

Though findings seem to encourage daily-intake of aspirin, researchers suggest the drug should be taken only after consulting a physician given its side-effects including gastrointestinal bleeding.

"Self-medication with aspirin or non-aspirin NSAIDs is strongly discouraged, due to the possibility of serious adverse events. The public should not take any medication regularly without consulting with a physician," Dr. Friis said.

Aspirin and other non-inflammatory drugs are taken by a large number of people to mainly to prevent heart attacks and cancers.