A new study finds that those people who took daily for at least five years a dose of 75 to 150 milligrams of aspirin reduced their risks to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer by 27 percent. For comparison, a regular Bayer aspirin tablet contains 325 mg of aspirin, the double of the quantity previously mentioned.
Previous studies have proved that aspirin taken daily can also reduce the risk of stroke or heart attack. For that purpose, it is enough to take daily a low-dose version of aspirin-containing only 81 mg of active ingredients.
According to the scientists, other types of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can reduce the risk even more. For instance, the study found that those people who took non-aspirin NSAIDs over a period of at least five years were 30% to 45% less likely to have colorectal cancer than people who didn't take the medication.
Two examples of this type of NSAIDs are Ibuprofen, which is the active ingredient found in the over-the-counter painkillers Advil and Motrin, as well as naproxen, which is the active ingredient found in Aleve.
While other previous studies have suggested that regular use of NSAIDs or aspirin may help protect against colorectal cancer, those studies didn't provide clear answers on how long some would need to take it or the ideal dose to see a protective effect.
The new study turned to data coming from Denmark to study 10,280 adults who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer between the years 1994 and 2011. The researchers also identified for each patient 10 "controls", adults who did not have colorectal cancer but shared the gender, same birth year and lived in the same area.
In addition, the study used data from national databases in order to figure out which prescription drugs these people had taken. In Denmark, according to statistics, more than 85% of non-aspirin NSAIDs and 90% of the low-dose aspirin sold is prescribed by doctors.
The study has found that, compared with those who never took aspirin at all, people who during the time frame of the study had filled prescriptions at least twice were less likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer by a slightly 6%. But to get a more substantial benefit from low-dose aspirin, But people who had to take aspirin for five years or more got a more substantial benefit from low-dose aspirin, with a risk 27% lower.
The research has found that other types of NSAIDs provided an even greater benefit. For instance, those people who took for at least five years a "high-intensity dose of the painkillers were at least 30% less likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer. For those who took Celebrex or other newer type of stomach-protecting NSAIDs, the risks were 43% lower. The research team will publish their results in the Sept 1 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
