Health: Aspirin Scores Again

It started out as a painkiller and fever reducer, but in recent decades we have learned that aspirin can also reduce the risk of heart attacks and help prevent strokes. Last week I was surprised to read in the Journal of the American Medical Association that high doses of aspirin taken for long periods of time can prevent colorectal cancer.

That finding comes from the Nurses' Health Study, a long-term project involving more than 80,000 women. Most of them took aspirin for pain. But when the researchers looked deeper, they found that those who took more than 14 regular-strength (325 mg) aspirins a week for more than 10 years lowered their risk of colorectal cancer by 53%, and those who took fewer aspirins--6 to 14 a week--were 22% less likely to come down with this often fatal disease. That could be important news, especially if you are at high risk for colorectal cancer or have a family history of it.

But aspirin has a downside. For every 1 or 2 women who were protected from cancer, 8 developed serious gastrointestinal bleeding. Keep in mind that the only way to get the maximum benefit was to take the higher doses of aspirin for at least a decade. Beyond that, Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society says, "We are not even sure which group of people will gain enough benefit to exceed the risks."

Still, prevention is key. Every year 145,000 new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed, and unless the disease is diagnosed early, the prognosis isn't great. For now, your best bet is to limit red meat and processed meat in particular--both have been linked to colorectal cancer--and to maintain a normal body weight. And although no one likes to talk about it, beginning at age 50 you need to schedule a regular screening test such as a colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy. --With reporting by A. Chris Gajilan/New York

Sanjay Gupta is a neurosurgeon and CNN correspondent