Aspirin may help reduce cancer risks by up to 60 percent

Researchers have found that taking aspirin each day can help decrease the risk of dying from cancer by more than 20 percent over the course of five years, and the benefits may be evident for twenty years or more.

This British study can be found in The Lancet.

For the study, 25,570 individuals undergoing aspirin therapy for at least four years were analyzed. In every study, a placebo was used as well as aspirin.

On top of lower death risk from cancer, overall death risk appeared to decrease 10 percent as well in individuals taking 75mg of aspirin each day.

Previous studies have linked aspirin use to decreased colon cancer risks, but this study involves analysis of other cancers as well as overall death risk.

The decreases of various cancer risks appeared to grow over time — the longer the individual took aspirin, the lower their risk of a specific cancer, or death.

Researchers believe daily aspirin use, specifically for individuals over the age of 45, contains several positive benefits. It is now known that low-dose aspirin use each day may decrease cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

When used daily, aspirin has been found to decrease prostate cancer risk by 10 percent, lung cancer risk by up to 30 percent, bowel cancer risks by up to 40 percent, and esophageal or throat cancer by up to 60 percent.

Researchers believe the ideal time to begin taking aspirin each day for disease prevention may when a person is over 40 years old.