Daily aspirin and cancer has been in the news again. So what does it all mean?

People have been investigating whether aspirin protects us against cancer for many years. The first few study results were confusing – some showed a beneficial effect – others didn’t. This is the problem – you often don’t get a clear answer until many thousands of people have been studied. However, a group of medical researchers from Queen Mary University, London, have analysed the results of a large number of clinical trials, involving over a hundred thousand people in total, and the evidence is now clear.  Taking 75-325mg aspirin daily (between a quarter and just over a full tablet) for at least five years, can reduce risk of getting certain cancers (particularly bowel cancer), heart attacks and strokes.

Before you dash out to the nearest pharmacy – I should explain that a small percentage benefit was seen after studying a very large number of people. Whether you, as an individual, would gain, depends on many factors, including your age, sex, what other medical conditions you have, and how prone you are to the types of cancers which seemed to show the most effect. Aspirin does have some serious side-effects, including gastric bleeding and bleeding into the brain, and you should always discuss with your doctor before taking long-term regular aspirin.

What is interesting though is why aspirin works – and are there other ways we can reduce our chances of cancer, without taking a tablet every day?

We know that inflammation is important in the development of cancer, and at least part of the reason why aspirin protects, may be its ability to suppress inflammation.

Inflammation is the body’s protective response to damage, and to invasion by infections, such as bacteria. Normally it is a good thing as it involves our immune system destroying and removing infective organisms and dead cells and promoting repair of the damaged tissues.

Cancer cells appear in our bodies on a fairly regular basis. Normally they are discovered and destroyed by cells of our immune system and never cause us any harm.

However sometimes cancer cells manage to avoid discovery. Then they can turn our normal beneficial inflammatory response against us, to help them grow and spread. They do this in various ways, for example using aspects of the inflammation to grow new blood vessels, which provide the tumour with a source of food and oxygen.

So, although short bursts of inflammation can be protective, long term inflammation is certainly not. In fact some chronic inflammatory illnesses are known to predispose us to cancer, for example, inflammatory bowel disease can lead to bowel cancer.

Is there any way we can damp down inflammation naturally, without resorting to tablets? Absolutely yes – the best way is probably diet. See the Table for examples of simple changes you can make.

In addition to cancer, reducing inflammation can also protect us from heart disease and joint disease. Worth making an effort eh?

Examples of foods which promote inflammation and suggestions for avoiding them:

1. High sugar foods eg sweets and cakes – switch to fresh fruit (whole – not juice)
2. Trans fats (fried food, margarine, processed foods) – switch to olive oil, flax oil)
3. Many ‘Ready meals’ – switch to fresh vegetables, garlic, Herbs
4. Red meat – switch to fish, particularly oily fish
5. Refined carbohydrate (white flour, white rice) – switch to whole grain bread, brown rice

‘These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.’