ASPIRIN: WAYS IT CAN HELP YOU
1) Cancer— a study conducted by the American Cancer Society suggests that aspirin may reduce the risk of colon cancer. The study tracked over 650,000 people for a period of six years. Those men and women who reported taking aspirin at least 16 times a month had about 1/2 the death rate from colon cancer as those people who took no aspirin at all.
2) Immune system— a link between taking aspirin and a more effective immune system is suggested in findings from a study by researchers at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
While most of the news about aspirin is encouraging, researchers caution that none of their findings are conclusive. Furthermore, while aspirin is generally safe, taken steadily over a long period of time, it can cause stomach irritation, intestinal pain and bleeding ulcers. Researchers also say that parents should be reminded that children under 18 should not be given aspirin, especially those who have a viral illness such as the flu, because it can lead to the liver disease Reye’s syndrome.
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