Newsletter Article

Can Aspirin Ward off Cancer?

There's strong evidence that taking a painkiller every day could save your life. Should we all be popping the little white pills?

Mother of two JT is pinning her hopes on a little white pill to stop her getting one of the deadliest cancers in Britain. Her genes put her strongly at reisk of developing bowel cancer because her father and grandmother both developed the disease in their 30's. Happily, both were treated successfully.

Now 39 years old JT has regular check ups to detect and remove polyps - small growths in the bowel that can develop into cancer. JT is also taking part in a huge scientific study, THE CAPP2 STUDY. Every day for 3 years she has been taking 2 pills as part of a worldwide trial testing the effectiveness of aspirin in the prevention of bowel cancer. But, she won't know until the end of the trial whether she is taking active tablets or dummy tablets.

The aim of the trial is to prove for certain whether or not aspirin can help protect against bowel cancer - which affects 30,000 people in UK every year. JT, a fundraiser from the North East says:

"It's incredible that something as simple and inexpensive as aspirin could be a life saver".

Already studies have shown that taking aspirin or ibuprofen regularly reduces the risk of developing many types of cancer, including breast cancer, by up to two-thirds. Doctors in the USA are recommending all women over the age of 40 to consider taking aspirin and ibuprofen daily. British experts are more cautious and urge women to see their GP first. This is because aspirin and ibuprofen can have serious side effects - including potentially fatal bleeding in the stomach. They can also trigger asthma attacks. However, there may be other ways of getting the anti-cancer benefits of aspirin /ibuprofen without the side-effects.

Salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin, is found in willow bark and in many edible plants, ibuprofen has a similar active ingredient. So, eating  plenty of vegetables could protect against cancer too - vegetarians can have up to 12 times higher levels of salicylic acid than meat-eaters. That is a lower level than that found in people taking aspirin. A diet rich in fruit and vegetables is known to protect you against a range of cancers. Eating at least five portions every day is going to provide natural protection.

Taken from an article in BELLA Magazine, 19 August, Issue 33,  2003; reproduced with kind permission.

 

 

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