Taking Aspirin At Least Once a Week Helps Kill Off Cancer Cells, Study Shows

Scientists have claimed that taking aspirin just once or twice a week could help lower the risk of getting several deadly cancers. The popular and cheap over-the-counter painkiller is believed by medical professionals to block an enzyme that causes tumors to form.

Benefits of aspirin

The researchers looked at a range of studies that compared people taking aspirin with those who did not. The researchers then found out that the regular use of the drug appeared to reduce the risk of getting oesophagus cancers and stomach cancers by around a third. Taking aspirin also cut the chances of bowel cancer by 27% based on 45 studies including more than 150,000 people.

A daily low-dose of aspirin appeared to lower the bowel risk by 10% while a 325mg tablet taken every day was linked to a 35% fall of bowel risk. One in eight patients diagnosed with cancer in the UK get bowel tumors, and that is more than 42,000 people a year.

Also Read: Vitamin D: Secret Key to Boost Your Immune System Against Coronavirus?

A scientific review done by Milan University in Italy found out that regular aspirin also appeared to reduce the risk of stomach cancer by 36% while taking aspirin reduced the risk of oesophagus cancer a third.

The said review showed people taking aspirin once or twice a week, and the result stated that they had a 22% lower risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The risk was reduced by 44% if they had been taking it for 10 years. Regular aspirin use was also linked to 38% lower odds of cancers covering the liver, gall bladder, and bile duct.

However, the review did not look at the other drugs that people were taking which could also affect cancer risk. Aspirin is known to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by making the blood less sticky and for making the blood better for constant blood flow, but experts warn the public about the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding if taken beyond its recommended dosage.

Professor Carlo La Vecchia, the senior review author of the research stated that taking aspirin for the prevention of bowel cancer, or any other cancers, should only be done in consultation with a doctor.

Alternative to aspirin

There are those who are not comfortable to pop pills every so often, which is why an alternative is introduced. The willow tree has chemicals that kill off tumors, according to a study. It has given hopes of a new treatment for childhood diseases. The discovery of the chemicals in willow trees come more than a century after aspirin was developed.

The willow bark in particular, or the bark of several varieties of willow tree, has been used for centuries as a pain reliever. The active ingredient in the medicine made from willow bark is called salicin. Some people use willow bark as an alternative to aspiring, especially those who experience chronic back pains and headaches.

Cancer biologists at Kent University and scientists from Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire have now found miyabeacin, which can kill tumor cells. Scientists are excited about the success of the said chemical against neuroblastoma, which is a common childhood cancer whose survival rate is below 50%. The willow tree is also known as the goldmine of exciting new chemistry.