Researchers have found a new and surprising application for painkillers such as aspirin, Motrin, Advil and others: reducing the risk of developing colorectal cancer, one of the top three most common types of cancer.
A new study revealed that taking a daily dose of aspiring – 75 to 150 milligrams – for a longer period of time, such as five years, presented a 27 percent less chances of receiving a diagnosis of colorectal cancer. The regular Bayer aspirin, for example, contains more than the recommended dose – 325 mg of aspirin, so the low-dose version would be way to go.
Researchers discovered that there are even better odds of never being diagnosed with this type of cancer is participants were administered a daily dose of NSAIDs – nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Taking non-aspirin NSAIDs for at least five years translated in a 30 to 45 percent risk reduction when compared to those who didn’t take the painkillers. Two of the most efficient NSAIDs for this study proved to be naproxen and ibuprofen (the active ingredient in many painkillers, such as Motrin and Advil).
The theory that regular administration of aspirin or NSAIDs could be connected with protecting the body against colorectal cancer has also been the subject of previous studies. Those articles and researches, however, had a hard time identifying the ideal dose or how long would someone need to take it.
Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the results were based on data from Denmark, where more than 10,000 adults had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 1994 and 2011.
This extensive study did not leave anything to chance; in order to understand how important the daily dose of painkiller was, the researchers identified 10 “controls” for each of the patients – adults of the same age and gender who lived in the same area but were free from colorectal cancer.
Low-dose aspirin turned to have an impact of reducing the risk with 27 percent, but taking more efficient or innovative NSAIDs turned out to offer even greater health benefits. The “high-intensity” doses were considered to be roughly three times over the average dose taken by other participants.
However, the study could not account for plenty of other factors that may contribute to the risk of developing colorectal cancer, such as body mass index, diet or alcohol use. The data didn’t provide any information on family history of the disease either.
Still, the researchers still have good reasons to believe in the power of aspirin and other NSAIDs to prevent colorectal cancer.
Image Source: Omega Health and Fitness