aw basics

The virtues of aspirin

DISTANCE runner Ron Hill has recommended taking occasional aspirin tablets in order to reduce inflammation in the body. But researchers now say taking an aspirin a day for five years can help to prevent bowel cancer.

A study reported in The Lancet has found that taking a daily dose of 300mg or more of aspirin over a prolonged period could prevent the cancer later in life. Incidence of bowel cancer was reduced by up to 74 per cent within 10 to 15 years of treatment starting.

Each year, about 35,000 men and women in Britain have bowel cancer diagnosed and more than 16,000 die from the disease. It is the third most common type of cancer in Britain, and, if it is diagnosed early, one of the most treatable.

However, doctors generally advise against long-term aspirin use because of the risk of serious side-effects such as internal bleeding and stomach ulcers.

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