Aspirin reduces the risk of liver cancer, but is dangerous for the stomach
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
A new study by American scientists suggests that long-term use of aspirin is associated with a reduction in the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, a common type of primary liver cancer, and with a reduced risk of death from chronic liver disease.
Scientists from the National Cancer Institute in the United States conducted a long-term study involving more than 300,000 women and men in the age group from 50 to 71 years. Observation of volunteers was conducted for twelve years.
As it turned out, people who took aspirin at least once a month, liver cancer developed by 49% less frequently and by 50% less they died from chronic liver diseases in the next twelve years compared to those who did not take aspirin.
The miraculous power of aspirin has been proved by specialists not for the first time. Scientists have already found that taking aspirin reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack, and also reduces the risk of developing malignant tumors. Now aspirin revealed another miracle property.
"More and more often there is evidence that in the long term, taking aspirin can protect and prevent the development of certain types of cancer," the researchers comment.
However, despite such positive results, scientists still do not hurry to build aspirin in the ranks of drugs recommended for the prevention of diseases. As you know, aspirin is very dangerous for the stomach, in particular, it greatly increases the risk of internal bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. That is why the use of aspirin as a means for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases raises great doubts and is still in question.
For the prevention of liver disease and cancer, the best prevention, whatever one may say, is a healthy lifestyle. Especially to lean on aspirin is not recommended for those who have problems with the liver already have. Side effect of such a tool are gastric bleeding, and patients with a diseased liver are predisposed to it.