Linda at her Mom's apartment in Kalamazoo, 1999.
Remember you read it here first! A massive study ("tens of thousands of men and women") conducted in Britain and reported by researchers based at Oxford University seems to show that aspirin, at least in large doses swallowed every day,is effective against many types of cancer - in fact, incredibly effective in some cases. After five years an overall reduction of 37% in cancer-related deaths was observed. So let's all raid the drugstores and start dosing ourselves, right? No, maybe not. There is ample evidence to incriminate aspirin (in large doses?) in increases in gastrointestinal bleeding and even something as nasty as hemorrhagic stroke. Better talk to your doctor first. (Of course, you knew that anyway.)
This study seems to controvert a similar study done in America that showed no effect of aspirin on cancer rates. However, the American study involved smaller doses taken only every second day. So maybe it's the dosage that counts. Stay tuned - this is a big deal and will be all over the news media.
I got most of this information from two articles published in the NY Times, and if I weren't so technologically incompetent I would give you the links. I will continue to try.
I have that sweater now.
ReplyDeleteWe got that sweater in Newtonmore, Scotland, on our first British trip. It was there that Linda first picked up on how clerks in that part of the world say "thank you" with every interaction. Nowadays, in this part of the world, they hardly even make eye contact.
DeleteI saw something about asprin and cancer on the national news a couple weeks ago. They were saying just one asprin a day seems to have a positive (negative if you are the cancer) affect. Of course they are not going to advocate for large doses of anything on national news. It would be wonderful if all it took were an asprin or two a day to keep cancer away.
ReplyDeleteLinda K
I just read an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a highly reputable rag, that indicates that as far back as 1991 it was known that aspirin can help prevent colorectal cancer. The article is "Two Hundred Years of Cancer Research" and was written by Drs.DeVita and Rosenberg. It's an interesting article and easy to understand. I will send you a copy, on obviously sincere request. As someone who consumes ibuprofen like I used to consume M&Ms, I wonder if my pills have the same effect. Or should I switch to aspirin? I'll ask my doc.
ReplyDeleteFor a new (2014) study involving ovarian cancer specifically, see the blog for 2/21/14.
ReplyDelete