Scientists have found a drug that significantly reduces the risk of colon cancer. It is a medication that is available in every pharmacy.
Researchers from the renowned Harvard University are currently reporting a new finding: a drug that many people keep in their medicine cabinet and have probably already taken at least once could significantly reduce the risk of cancer. This is the well-known painkiller aspirin. But be careful: swallowing a tablet every day is still not recommended.
Study with 100,000 subjects: Does aspirin protect against cancer?
As the American researchers discovered, the active ingredient acetylsalicylic acid, or ASA for short, could prove particularly useful in preventing colon cancer. As part of a study, they observed the health of more than 100,000 people who had left their data at Massachusetts General Hospital over 30 years.
The team focused on those who had risky lifestyle factors (elevated body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, low physical activity and an unbalanced diet) and regularly took aspirin and compared them with subjects who avoided the painkiller.
The well-known aspirin active ingredient acetylsalicylic acid is probably known to everyone. It is usually taken to relieve headaches or fever. The painkiller is also prescribed in low doses for certain cardiovascular diseases.
The result: The group that regularly took aspirin was less likely to develop cancer. Their ten-year incidence was 1.98 percent, while people who did not take aspirin reached 2.95 percent. This means that the aspirin group’s cancer risk was reduced by about 32 percent. In the case of colon cancer, the researchers even calculated a risk reduction of 37.6 percent - among people who had a
The researchers defined “regular intake” as a dose of 325 milligrams twice a week or a lower dose of 81 milligrams of ASA daily.