Aspirin is used to prevent strokes or heart attacks. It prevents platelets from clumping and prevents blood clots from forming. Therefore, aspirin is very popular all over the world.
In 1988, Australians conducted a study on colon cancer. They tested various popular medications that could affect cancer risk.
At some point, we found out that aspirin has an effect, but not as expected. Colon cancer was less common among people who took aspirin. It was too good to be true. Such inverse dependencies are usually difficult to untangle.
Scientists had to use clever statistical tricks, and yet it turned out that aspirin could actually be the cause.
After that, many additional studies were carried out, and it turned out that aspirin did reduce the risk of developing colon cancer by 20 - 40%.
Other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs worked in much the same way.
The joy of scientists was so great that all these studies were short-term. Everyone wanted to contribute to history and report on the work done.
When the dust cleared away, it turned out that no one could say anything about the long-term results. Most of the studies lasted no more than 10 to 12 years.
Another surprise was related to the amount of aspirin. Scientists have tried so hard to prove a causal relationship that they could not determine the useful amount of the drug.
Many people wanted to believe that ordinary heart aspirin in tiny tablets would suffice.
Another unpleasant factor intervened. Several years elapsed between the first aspirin pill and the real benefit in cancer prevention. And all this time, aspirin could corrode the stomach or provoke bleeding.
Understandably, a doctor with a clear conscience will only prescribe aspirin to people with coronary artery disease or a high risk of stroke. So discuss this matter with your doctor.
