Some evidence from observation and studies seem to indicate that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can lower the risk of colorectal cancer. Does this mean you should take an aspirin every day to reduce your risk of colorectal cancer or prevent it? Well it could be said that it would help and research seems to point to that fact. Of course it would not have to be aspirin, it could be Motrin, Advil or a host of other such over the counter type drugs.
Are researchers and doctors recommending this? No they will not go so far as to recommend you take them, unless you are perhaps in an extremely high-risk category. However the studies look to be pretty conclusive in fact go so far as to say they you reduce your risk of colorectal cancer by a little over 50%, which is a huge amount if you start to think about something so simple reducing the risks by that wide of a margin. A weekly usage and the number of years taken seemed to be the key. Too much usage can cause intestinal bleeding and that is a horrible side effect; so do not try this. But the study is interesting indeed.
Much research is continuing in the study of colorectal cancer as it kills about 56,000 Americans per year and about 145,000 are diagnosed now every year. The 20-year study was done on over 83,000 women between the ages of 30 and 55. These women who used aspirin only had a 23 percent less likelihood of colorectal cancer as opposed to those who were non-aspirin users.
While the evidence suggests a reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer from such drugs, it is probably not a good strategy to prevent colorectal cancer. You will need to do your own research and ask your doctor about such things, however this is a very interesting finding and something think about.
Lance Winslow
