Aspirin Helps Prevent Cancer, New Studies Show 132
kkleiner writes "For years, research has shown that aspirin is beneficial in preventing heart attacks. Now new studies support its ability to prevent cancer as well. The studies, involving tens of thousands of participants over many decades, show reductions of cancer incidence (both short- and long-term) and mortality rate as well as a decrease in metastatic cancer. It still is not known exactly how aspirin and cancer are connected, but those between the ages of 45-50 will now likely consider taking low-dose aspirin daily for the remainder of their lives."
Goddamn Futurism "Reporting" (Score:5, Informative)
100-Year Old Wonder Drug Now Shown To Prevent Cancer and Heart Attacks
Hmmm, that's odd, this "news" story reads like one of those ads trying to sell me something. Is this ancient Chinese secret or midwest housewife research?
For all the money spent on studies of aspirin, perhaps all the evidence anyone needs of its health benefits is the life of Walter Breuning, who lived to be 114 years old and aspirin was the only medication he ever took.
Oh, you just need a sample size of one? No need for that expensive tens of thousands double blind study, huh? And all he ever took was aspirin? We should refuse vaccines? And what the hell do you mean by "for all that money spent"? I find it odd that all three of the abstracts linked to in the article end with:
Funding
None.
Wait a second ... *checks URL*
singularityhub.com
Oh son of a bitch, it's more misinformation and half truths from Ray Kurzweil's disciples. Now I have to guess which is which.
Actual Citations (Score:2, Informative)
Re:But destroys your liver (Score:5, Informative)
I'd rather avoid aspirin and other NSAIDs (like tylenol/acetaminophen).
But then again...
A 2009 article published by the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggested that aspirin might prevent liver damage.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin#Experimental [wikipedia.org]
It's not misinformation (Score:5, Informative)
it's actual, real life, scientific research - published in a well read and respected peer reviewed medical journal. But if it's just the messenger that has you all wee weed up, try PBS
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june12/aspirin_03-21.html [pbs.org]
Re:Goddamn Futurism "Reporting" (Score:5, Informative)
Hmmm, that's odd, this "news" story reads like one of those ads trying to sell me something. Is this ancient Chinese secret or midwest housewife research?
Neither, it was on TV news last night. It's a peer-reviewed study with unexpected results. Here are a couple of more reputable sources than the stupid FA that I didn't bother reading:
Can aspirin really reduce the risk of cancer? [guardian.co.uk]
Studies Link Daily Doses of Aspirin to Reduced Risk of Cancer [nytimes.com]
Unfortunately, many folks seem to pick the least reputable rag they can find as a link for their submissions, often their own blogs.
Aspirin isn't for everyone. Kids under 16 shouldn't take it, especially if they have the flu, and if you have stomach or digestive problems, hemophilia, or a few other conditions aspirin can be dangerous.
I wonder if Naproxin Sodium prevents cancer? I stopped taking aspirin when the patent on Alieve went away.
Re:But destroys your liver (Score:5, Informative)
I'd rather avoid aspirin and other NSAIDs (like tylenol/acetaminophen).
Acetaminophen's not an NSAID, since it has hardly any anti-inflammatory effect at all. Still something that should IMO be avoided -- aspirin's actually a lot healthier and safer for most people -- but it's important to know what class of drugs you're actually dealing with.
Re:Goddamn Futurism "Reporting" (Score:5, Informative)
100-Year Old Wonder Drug Now Shown To Prevent Cancer and Heart Attacks
Hmmm, that's odd, this "news" story reads like one of those ads trying to sell me something. Is this ancient Chinese secret or midwest housewife research?
Maybe you like it straight from 'The Lancet': Short-term effects of daily aspirin on cancer incidence, mortality, and non-vascular death: analysis of the time course of risks and benefits in 51 randomised controlled trials [thelancet.com], Effect of daily aspirin on risk of cancer metastasis: a study of incident cancers during randomised controlled trials [thelancet.com], and Long-term effect of aspirin on colorectal cancer incidence and mortality: 20-year follow-up of five randomised trials [thelancet.com].
The NY Times [nytimes.com] also reported on these studies. Some of the findings of these studies found were that after five years the risk of dying of cancer was reduced by 37 percent among those taking daily aspirin, that over six and a half years, on average, daily aspirin use reduced the risk of metastatic cancer by 36 percent and the risk of adenocarcinomas by 46 percent, daily aspirin use reduced the risk of progressing to metastatic disease in patients with colorectal cancer.
It was found that the risk of bleeding in aspirin users diminished over time, and that the risk of death from brain bleeds was actually lower in the aspirin users than in the comparison group.
Aspirin's mechanism of action IS known! (Score:5, Informative)
Inflammation (Score:4, Informative)
There are doctors that are going as far as to state that most ailments (heart disease, cancer, arthritis, etc) are cause to some degree by chronic inflammation:
GIFY
https://encrypted.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=inflammation+and+disease&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 [google.com]
Aspirin reduces inflammation and so helps in all things inflammation related.
You should check out diet related inflammation as some (if not most) of us have poor dietary habits OR eat to much.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflammation [wikipedia.org]
Re:Contraceptive. (Score:3, Informative)
Amusing barb, but completely wrong. Foster Friess [wikipedia.org] was the person who said that.
Re:Goddamn Futurism "Reporting" (Score:5, Informative)
Re:But destroys your liver (Score:5, Informative)
Acetaminophen's not an NSAID,
Furthermore, as far as I know, it's only Acetaminophen (Tylenol) that has been shown to potentially cause liver failure using regular 2 x 325mg doses, and only when taken with alcohol over a period of a few days. The articles I've read about liver failure from NSAIDs have been from using high(er) doses of Ibuprofen or Naproxen - both of which are stronger than Aspirin - continuously over a long period of time, like for arthritis pain control. But, IANAMD.
Re:But destroys your liver (Score:5, Informative)
Aspirin is not harmless either. About 10,000 Americans a year suffer gastric bleeding due to aspirin. There is absolutely a tradeoff to be made here. Don't go on aspirin therapy without fully considering the risks.
Re:Aspirin's mechanism of action IS known! (Score:2, Informative)
My GI and Cancer doc has me on a low dose of Aspirin (81mg) to try and prevent me from getting Colon Cancer.
I just started the process this year so I do not know if it is going to help in the long run or not, but we will see.
I am rated as an extreme high risk for Colon cancer and have been getting colonoscopies since age 30 to watch for and clear out polyps that could become cancerous if not dealt with.
Re:It's not misinformation (Score:5, Informative)
Second, are there any negative effects of taking aspirin daily?
http://www.maculardegenerationassociation.org/resources/information.aspx?post=deac32fd-9c23-43de-9916-6b67da8a793d [maculardeg...iation.org]
Re:But destroys your liver (Score:4, Informative)
First, tylenol isn't an NSAID. Second, wikipedia says that aspirin only affects the liver of 20% of children who take it in high doses. If aspirin destroyed your liver mine would have been gone in 1971 when I took huge doses daily for arthritis; it was the only effective drug (for me) back then. I'm amazed I never got a stomach ulcer.
Acetaminophen, otoh, has a bad effect on the liver even in lower doses, and in everyone regardless of age.
There are far better reasons to avoid aspirin; it isn't for everyone. But liver damage from low doses isn't one of the risks.
Re:Maybe Willow Bark instead (Score:5, Informative)
You've got this exactly backwards (unfortunately this was also about the only time you were 'exact' in your entire post).
So you essentially have no idea. But it being natural feels all warm and fuzzy so you will do that instead of basing your decisions off nasty pointy facts.
Or self-medicating with incorrectly dosed quanties of active drugs derived from an poorly regulated source.
Re:But destroys your liver (Score:4, Informative)