Taking half an aspirin pill every day can cut the risk of liver cancer by nearly a half, scientists claim
- Taking half an aspirin pill a day slashes the risk of liver cancer, research suggests
- People who take a regular low dose are 43% less likely to develop disease
- Findings based on an analysis of more than 50,000 people in Sweden
Taking half an aspirin pill a day slashes the risk of liver cancer, research suggests.
People who take a regular low dose are 43 per cent less likely to develop the disease, Harvard scientists discovered.
The drug also cuts death rates from all liver problems – including fatty liver disease – by more than 25 per cent.
Taking half an aspirin pill a day slashes the risk of liver cancer, research suggests (File image)
The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, are based on an analysis of more than 50,000 people in Sweden with chronic viral hepatitis, the most common risk factor for liver cancer.
The participants took a low daily dose of about half a regular-strength tablet – less than 163mg – for pain relief.
Over an average follow-up of nearly eight years, 4 per cent of patients developed liver cancer, compared with 8.3 per cent of non-users. Importantly, the longer a person took the drugs, the greater the benefit.
Scientists have been exploring whether aspirin may ward off cancer for some time, and experts have already shown that a low dose could also significantly reduce the risk of bowel cancer.