--- title: Doctors Suggest Taking Aspirin to Prevent Colorectal Cancer description: New guidelines suggest people between 50-69 with an elevated risk of heart disease take aspirin. canonical: https://time.com/4034599/aspirin-to-prevent-cancer/ author: Tanya Basu article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-15T14:01:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:01:40.701Z article:section: Health og:title: Doctors Suggest An Aspirin Daily to Prevent Cancer & Stroke og:description: The new guidelines affect people aged 50-69 with elevated heart disease risk. og:url: https://time.com/4034599/aspirin-to-prevent-cancer/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8ec5e1b7b3a2ec1/6988604d428a9ee183ccebe6/rx-prescription-bottle-health-illo.jpg?branch=production&width=1000&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1000 og:image:height: 563 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock health rx prescription bottle drugs og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Doctors Suggest An Aspirin Daily to Prevent Cancer & Stroke twitter:description: The new guidelines affect people aged 50-69 with elevated heart disease risk. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8ec5e1b7b3a2ec1/6988604d428a9ee183ccebe6/rx-prescription-bottle-health-illo.jpg?branch=production&width=1000&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Expert Panel Recommends Daily Aspirin to Prevent Cancer > Sponsored content. 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Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators.  by [Tanya Basu](https://time.com/author/tanya-basu/)  ## Tanya Basu Sep 15, 2015 2:01 PM UTC  Illustration by Sydney Rae Hass for TIME  by [Tanya Basu](https://time.com/author/tanya-basu/)  ## Tanya Basu Sep 15, 2015 2:01 PM UTC Doctors have long recommended taking a low-dose aspirin daily to reduce the risk of heart problems, but in the past year, those recommendations have seen reversals, with some experts saying that for people who have not had a cardiac event, [a daily aspirin isn’t not only unnecessary—it’s dangerous](http://time.com/91726/who-should-and-who-shouldnt-take-daily-aspirin/). And it [won’t prevent a first heart attack](http://time.com/3589576/daily-aspirin-may-not-prevent-heart-attacks/). Now, an expert panel, United States Preventive Services Task Force, is recommending daily aspirin to prevent heart attacks, stroke, and colorectal cancer. In a [draft report](http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/aspirin-for-the-prevention-of-cardiovascular-disease-preventive-medication) published Monday, an independent group of physicians appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services suggested adults between 50-69 years old and at an elevated risk for heart disease take a low-dose aspirin daily. The recommendation goes on to say that those in the next age bracket of 60-69 with a high risk for heart disease that the potential benefit is smaller because of the risk of stomach and brain bleeding—common side effects of aspirin intake—increase with age. These individuals should discuss their cardiovascular disease risk and the potential benefit of taking aspirin with their doctor. This marks the first time a prominent American medical association has issued a recommendation to take aspirin to prevent cancer. It follows a growing body of research that shows that aspirin may be more powerful in the fight against cancer than originally thought, [reports the New York ](http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2015/09/14/in-a-first-aspirin-is-recommended-to-fight-a-form-of-cancer/?referrer=)[_Times_](http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2015/09/14/in-a-first-aspirin-is-recommended-to-fight-a-form-of-cancer/?referrer=)_._ The draft guidelines have garnered some criticism, with some worrying that some healthy people might take aspirin and introduce more problems rather than allay them. As with any health measure, the guideline strongly advises that people consult with their physicians before beginning an aspirin regimen. ### QUIZ: Should You Eat This or That?  Which is better for you: Half cup of ice cream or 3 scoops of sorbet? Getty Images (4)  Answer: A half cup of ice cream If you eat what you’re craving, you’re more likely to feel satisfied and eat less. And scoop for scoop sorbet contains twice the sugar with none of the filling dairy protein and fat. Getty Images (5); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME  Which is better for you: Real butter or spray on fake butter? Getty Images; Tara Johnson for TIME  Answer: Butter Serving size for spray butters (even low-calorie ones) are around a 1/3 second spray. What on earth does that mean? You're better off using a small amount of real butter as opposed to guessing how much you're using of the mystery melange of up to 20 ingredients. Getty Images (1); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME  Which is better for you: A turkey burger or a sirloin burger? Getty Images (2) ![Answer: Sirloin burger
Restaurant turkey burgers are often made with dark meat and the skin, so they’re not necessarily better for you \(and for the record, they aren't low-fat\). You can get a sirloin burger that’s 95% lean meat and gives you 20 g of protein. Just be careful with the toppings.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte1b297940ae4e4e0/6986970ce53aba0cb54d318e/sirloin-burger.gif?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp) Answer: Sirloin burger Restaurant turkey burgers are often made with dark meat and the skin, so they’re not necessarily better for you (and for the record, they aren't low-fat). You can get a sirloin burger that’s 95% lean meat and gives you 20 g of protein. Just be careful with the toppings. Getty Images (1); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME  Which is better for you: Almonds or pretzels? Getty Images (2)  Answer: Almonds Almonds are high in protein, fiber and fat and will keep you feeling fuller longer. Give high-sodium pretzels about an hour and you'll feel hungry again thanks to the high-carb no-fat or protein content. Getty Images (1); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME  Which is better for you: Special K or eggs? AP; Getty Images  Answer: Eggs In the morning, you want a meal that will fill you up. Eggs offer protein and fat for satiety, but Special K cereal really only offers carbs and, well, air. If you want carbs to kick off the day, you're better off pairing eggs with a slice of 100% whole grain toast. Getty Images (1); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME  Which is better for you: Fat free salad dressing or regular salad dressing? Tara Johnson for TIME  Answer: Regular salad dressingTo absorb fat soluble vitamins like Vitamins E and K in vegetables you need to consume them with a fat to aid nutrient absorption. Fat-free dressing, meanwhile, is low-calorie but gets its flavor from added sugar and salt. Tara Johnson for TIME (5); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME  Which is better for you: A low fat cookie or dark chocolate? Getty Images (2)  Answer: Dark chocolate “People believe fat free is calorie free,” says Keri Gans, a registered dietitian in New York City. “Go for the real thing.” Fat free cookies tend to be high in carbs, sugar and fake sugar. Try a nice piece of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate instead. Getty Images (2); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME  Which is better for you: Low fat Greek yogurt or 100 calorie Yoplait yogurt? Tara Johnson for TIME  Answer: 2% Greek YogurtA little fat is good in the morning to keep you full—plus it has upwards of 17g of protein per container. Fat-free "fruit" yogurt is high in sugar—7 to 10 g per serving—and lower in protein. Tara Johnson for TIME (2); Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME **Correction:** An earlier version of this story misstated the recommendations for adults 60-69. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4034599/aspirin-to-prevent-cancer/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4034599/aspirin-to-prevent-cancer/"},"headline":"Expert Panel Recommends Daily Aspirin to Prevent Cancer","datePublished":"2015-09-15T14:01:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:40.701Z","description":"New guidelines apply to people with an elevated risk of heart disease.","url":"https://time.com/4034599/aspirin-to-prevent-cancer/","keywords":["Cancer","Public Health","Heart Disease","Research","Stroke","heart attack","aspirin"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8ec5e1b7b3a2ec1/6988604d428a9ee183ccebe6/rx-prescription-bottle-health-illo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tanya Basu","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tanya-basu/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8ec5e1b7b3a2ec1/6988604d428a9ee183ccebe6/rx-prescription-bottle-health-illo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TIME.com stock health rx prescription bottle drugs","caption":"TIME.com stock health rx prescription bottle drugs","creditText":"Illustration by Sydney Rae Hass for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/cancer/","name":"Cancer"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4034599/aspirin-to-prevent-cancer/","name":"Expert Panel Recommends Daily Aspirin to Prevent Cancer"}}]}] ```