Daily dose of aspirin may counter cancer

Even people not at high risk of the disease could benefit from the painkiller, with the positive effects mounting up over time.

Researchers writing in the journal Gut studied almost 2,800 people with bowel cancer and nearly 3,000 healthy people.

Their intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin or ibuprofen, was taken into account.

Overall, 16 per cent of people with bowel cancer were taking a low dose of aspirin compared with 18 per cent of those in the healthy group.

People also responded to questions about their diet and lifestyle, which are known to have a big impact on the risk of bowel cancer.

The results showed that those who took a daily low dose of 75mg of aspirin had a lower chance of developing the disease.

Taking 75mg of aspirin every day for between one and three years led to a 19 per cent reduction in risk.

For people taking the drug daily for three to five years, there was a 24 per cent reduced risk, rising to 31 per cent for those taking the drug for five to 10 years.

Doubling the dose did not lead to any extra benefit, suggesting "the lowest dose of aspirin is effective," and benefits were apparent even at one year, the experts said.

The use of other NSAIDs was also linked to a lower risk of bowel cancer.

However, no type of NSAID increased survival in patients who already had bowel cancer or prevented death from any other cause.

Tablets containing 75mg of aspirin are recommended for some people who have suffered from a heart attack or stroke, and contain a much lower dose than that used for pain relief.

Around 38,500 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed every year in the UK and the disease kills more than 16,000 people.

The research comes after experts warned last week that carrying excess fat around the waist increases the risk of bowel cancer even if the rest of the body is slim.