Aspirin is a multifunctional drug commonly used to treat several health problems, such as relieving pain to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Although aspirin is beneficial for health, not all of us are recommended to take the drug regularly every day. In addition, this drug is only recommended for those with a history of heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.

Besides being able to help relieve symptoms of heart-related diseases, aspirin is also believed to help reduce the risk of dementia, cognitive decline, and cancer in the elderly. However, evidence of its effectiveness is still lacking, especially for those who are in good health. In contrast, the study results show that taking a low-dose aspirin every day cannot protect the elderly from dementia and cognitive decline. Moreover, even the results of a recent study published in the Journal of The National Cancer Institute show that daily aspirin consumption can also increase cancer-related deaths.

In their study, the researchers analysed 19,114 individuals enrolled in the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial with an age range of 65-70 years. It is known that everyone did not have a history of diseases such as heart disease, dementia, and physical disability at the beginning of the study period. The researchers randomly assigned 100 mg of aspirin to some participants to take every day, while others were given a placebo.

After a follow-up period of 4.7 years, it was found that 981 of the aspirin group and 952 of the placebo group had cancer. Although there was no significant difference, the risk of cancer metastasis and diagnosis of advanced cancer was 19% higher and 22% higher in the aspirin group, respectively. The study results also showed a higher risk of death in the aspirin group. Aspirin in the body functions in reducing inflammation. With the results of this study, researchers indicate that aspirin can suppress the immune response in the body so that the growth and spread of cancer become uncontrollable.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from: Google Search Images

Source(s):

• McNeil, J.J., Gibbs, P., Orchard, S.G., et al. (2020). Effect of aspirin on cancer incidence and mortality in older adults. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djaa114.
• Medical News Today - Daily aspirin may exacerbate cancer in older adults (2020). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/daily-aspirin-may-exacerbate-cancer-in-older-adults, 25 August 2020.