A recent study has shown that among 1.279 bowel cancer sufferers, those who took aspirin daily following diagnosis were 30% less likely to die of the disease.
The same people were also 20% less likely to die at all – of any cause.
For many years, it has been been common to recommend aspirin to those in danger of heart attack or stroke.
A spokesperson at Cancer Research UK said that it was necessary to weigh up the possible benefit of taking aspirin with the potential side effects. These particularly relate to damage of the stomach lining.
Inflammation
Aspirin acts as an anti-inflammatory – and it’s a fair bet that this is the reason for its benefits in this case.
It can further be suggested that a natural anti-inflammatory such as the omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil would have had a similar effect. And there would be no side effects.
There is increasing evidence that fish oil supplementation benefits various cancers, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.
There is tremendous potential for research into the anti-inflammatory properties of fish oil. This will take time, as there is little money around for research into such natural supplements.
