14 DAY TRIAL // You may have not associated headaches with colon disorders, but long-term aspirin use, associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), decreases your vulnerability to colorectal cancer, as it was found by a new research published in "Gastroenterology". Still, long-term aspirin use over the recommended doses is associated with severe side effects, such as gastrointestinal bleeding.
"While the results of our study show that aspirin should not currently be recommended for the chemoprevention of colorectal cancer in a healthy population, there is a need for further studies to help identify for which patients the potential benefits outweigh the risks. We also need to improve our understanding of how aspirin works to prevent and inhibit the formation of colorectal cancer," said lead author Dr. Andrew T. Chan, from Massachusetts General Hospital.
Male subjects who used aspirin regularly had a significantly lower risk of colorectal cancer, like distal colon cancer, proximal colon cancer and rectal cancer, and the values stood even when other risk factors were taken into account. The risk decrease was observed in both early (stage I/II) and advanced (stage III/IV) colorectal cancers.
The team detected 975 cases of colorectal cancer out of 47,636 men. Subjects using aspirin at least twice a week were older, more likely to have smoked, used multivitamins and folate, and they consumed slightly more alcohol. The beneficial effect of aspirin was obvious only after five years of use.
The lowest risk was encountered at over 14 standard tablets (325 mg) weekly, over the normally recommended dose. The beneficial effects of aspirin use decreased in less than four years after ceasing its consumption and 4-5 years of discontinued use do not have a visible effect.
The research was carried on 51,529 U.S. male dentists, optometrists, osteopaths, podiatrists, pharmacists and veterinarians, through health questionnaires assessing diet, aspirin use and medical diagnoses, including cancer. The first questionnaire was completed in 1986, then the information was updated each two years for cancer diagnoses and aspirin use. Subjects were aged 40 to 75 when the research started.
Annually, 147,000 Americans develop colorectal cancer and 56,500 die of it. 5.5% of the men are prone to develop colorectal cancer.