Daily Aspirin Linked to Steep Drop in Cancer Risk

Well, if you're one of the people who gets to live an extra 30 years because your colorectal cancer didn't kill you, i'd say that's a pretty damn big difference.

I had a close relative who died couple of weeks ago from that cancer

sucks to know about this today..

That's what I was thinking when I read this. I'd bet you would get even more benefit from taking a low dose of hemp oil, because not only is that a stronger (and less toxic) anti-inflammatory, but it's also anti-angiogenic. In any event though total morbidity is much more interesting than cancer risk.

I don't think so, low dose aspirin has little effect on inflammation.

Aspirin (ASA)is special WRT NSAID, in that it inhibits the Cyclo-oxygenase (COX) enzymes irreversibly.

COX are a family of enzymes that transform arachidonic acid to various inflamatory mediators called the prostaoids (comprising prostaglandins, prostacyclin and thromboxanes). There are two subtypes, present in different tissues, but since ASA inhibits both kinds.

Platelets contain COX and uses it produce Thromoxane A2, a potent vasoconstrictor and platelet activator. Since platelets don't have a nucleus, the effect inhibitory effect is permanent in them. New platelets have to be produced in order to restore a normal clotting activity. Since the platelet have an half life of more than a week, the effect is long lasting.

Other cells can synthesize COX as needed. Low dose aspirin has thus little effect on them. You need a much higher dose to get a clinically noticeable anti-inflamatory response.

In blood vessels, activated platelets use COX to synthesize Thromoxane A2 (TXA). TXA further promotes vasoconstriction, platelet activation and aggregation, leading to the formation of a blood clot [1].

On the other hand, endothelial cells (the inner layer of blood vessels) use COX to synthesize a prostaglandin (PGI2), which antagonizes TXA (vasodilatation, platelet inhibition).

ASA disrupts the TXA2/PGI2 equilibrium in favor of PGI2, inhibiting platelet activation.

Other NSAID also have an anti-aggregation activity, but it is far more short lived, and requires anti-inflammatory doses to do so.

That said, I can't prove that a chronic, subclinical anti-inflammatory effect isn't at play here too.

EDIT:

A Google scholar search confirms that TXA2 is involved in carcinogenesis [2-3].

--

[1] Such a clot is fragile. It is then stabilized by the coagulation process: the irreversible binding of fibrinogen into a fibrine mesh.

[2] http://scholar.google.be/scholar?hl=nl&q=pgi2+neoplasm&#...

[3] http://scholar.google.be/scholar?hl=nl&q=txa2+neoplasm&#...

It can cause bleeding.

I took 100 milligrams a day for prophylactic purposes for about 5 years. It caused severe gastritis, to the extent that I had to go to hospital last year. Since having to discontinue taking it for a medical procedure, I discovered that my stomach is much better and have never taken a single pill since.

Thanks for the link. Nice quote: "In fact, if you believe what you read in the scientific literature, you shouldn’t believe what you read in the scientific literature."

I think we can do better than "a good reason to not pop it like mints".

Aspirin Myocardial Infarction Study


"Doses of 1,000 mg per day of aspirin caused gastrointestinal symptoms and bleeding that, in some cases, were clinically significant. In the largest postinfarction study (the Aspirin Myocardial Infarction Study (AMIS) with 4,500 people), the percentage of incidences of gastrointestinal symptoms for the aspirin (1,000 mg of a standard, solid-tablet formulation) and placebo-treated subjects, respectively, were stomach pain (14.5%, 4.4%), heartburn (11.9%, 4.8%), nausea and/or vomiting (7.6%, 2.1%), hospitalization for GI disorder (4.9%, 3.5%). In the A.I. and other trials, aspirin-treated patients had increased rates of gross gastrointestinal bleeding. Symptoms and signs of gastrointestinal irritation were not significantly increased in subjects treated for unstable angina with buffered aspirin in solution. "

Really? Acetylsalicylic acid is available as a cheap generic drug in Germany.

In France, a box of 20x1g pills is around 3 euros, so you can get 1g per day at 4.5€ per month (~0,15€ per day).

I find this rather cheap personally.

Your tone is a bit suspect (what is not "real" about aspirin after all) but I liked your link. Especially "Physical inactivity: People who are physically active are at lower risk of developing colorectal cancer."