Aspirin and Health

On the Plus side
Aspirin is great at preventing heart attacks, especially if you've already had one. And a 2012 study suggested that there's a 37% reduction in cancer risk, particularly colon and prostate cancer, for those who take a therpeutic low dose of aspirin (anything from 1/4 of a 300g tablet to a shole one) once a day over a period of five years.

On the Minus side

• A side effect of taking aspirin is that it may make your stomach bleed. This internal bleeding can be catastrophic.
• As people are self-medicating, they often take too much.
• No-one can quantify the risks.

Your decision for or against taking aspirin will depend on medical advice, your risk factors for either heart attack or cancers and whether you are more afraid of these conditions or the risk of internal bleeding.

Michael Mosley in the Radio Times, October 2013