An aspirin a day keeps cancer away?

Photo by GizmodoAspirin is a common member of The Cabinet—the medicine cabinet, that is.

It is often used as a pain reliever, an anti-inflammatory and it can even lower the temperature during a bout of fever. Due to its anti-blood clotting action, it is beneficial to people at risk of heart attacks (a.k.a. myocardial infarction) and strokes.

Keeping a 75-mg aspirin tablet in your wallet at all times can be a lifesaver. A person who suffers a heart attack and pops a low dose aspirin immediately after the attack reduces the risk of a second fatal heart attack or of death of the affected heart tissue.

Cardiologists have included aspirin in the daily regimen of patients at risk for myocardial infarction or stroke.

Lowers cancer risk
Scientists are now pushing the latest data that daily aspirin use may lower the risk of cancer, as well.

According to Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society, six different papers revealed that patients taking 75-mg of aspirin a day for three to five years had a 20 percent lower risk of developing cancer while persons taking the same drug for more than 5 years had a 30 percent decreased incidence of cancer.

Another analysis composed of 34 trials showed similar results. Patients taking 40-mg to 1,500-mg of aspirin for more than five years had a 37 percent less likelihood of dying from cancer.

Dr. Thun wrote that increasing the dose of aspirin did not seem to have any additional benefit as compared to the current recommended dose of 75-mg per day.

How to avoid side effects
But don't stock up on aspirin just yet.

This drug also has some adverse effects. Prolonged intake may cause stomach ulcers leading to life-threatening bleeding.

Before you begin taking aspirin on a regular basis, make sure you check with your physician to ensure you do not suffer from any gastrointestinal problems.

The following dietary supplements are also recommended to protect the stomach lining from damage: vitamin C, deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) or s-adenosylmethionine (SAMe). These supplements may be found in health stores and some pharmacies.