--- title: Aspirin Is Linked To Lower Risk of Cancer description: Taking aspirin regularly for at least six years was associated with a 19% drop in risk for colon and rectum cancers canonical: https://time.com/4246640/aspirin-colorectal-cancer/ author: Mandy Oaklander article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-03T17:38:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:56:07.371Z article:section: Health og:title: Aspirin Is Linked To Lower Risk of Cancer og:description: Taking aspirin regularly for at least six years was associated with a 19% drop in risk for colon and rectum cancers og:url: https://time.com/4246640/aspirin-colorectal-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: Aspirin Is Linked To Lower Risk of Cancer twitter:description: Taking aspirin regularly for at least six years was associated with a 19% drop in risk for colon and rectum cancers 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 ---  # Aspirin Is Linked to Lower Risk of Some Cancers > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=f49c8144-e5e3-41ff-b559-f91e1367295f&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: An Apple And An Aspirin A Day? [Watch (HLS stream): An Apple And An Aspirin A Day?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hcSWSq9K.m3u8) (1:12)  _Published 2015-09-15. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released new recommendations for daily use of aspirin, and it's causing some controversy._  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Mar 3, 2016 5:38 PM UTC  Illustration by Sydney Rae Hass for TIME  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Mar 3, 2016 5:38 PM UTC A new [study](http://oncology.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2497878) released Thursday finds that aspirin, taken regularly in low doses, is linked to a lower risk for cancer. In the research, published in _JAMA Oncology_, researchers examined the correlation between aspirin and cancer in about 136,000 people. The men and women analyzed were part of the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and their data was collected for up to 32 years. The researchers found that taking aspirin regularly—defined twice a week or more—for at least six years was associated with a 19% drop in risk for colon and rectum cancers, a 15% lower risk for gastrointestinal tract cancers and a 3% lower risk for cancers in general. They didn’t see a link between regular aspirin use and risk reduction for some other cancers, including cancers of the breast, prostate and lung. The benefits for GI cancers seemed to manifest even with a lower dose of aspirin, starting with half a standard aspirin tablet weekly. It’s not yet clear exactly why the effect appears to be so strong on cancers of the GI region. But the authors speculate that aspirin might be working in a way that’s critical to fighting the early production of tumors. Taking aspirin regularly could prevent anywhere from 8-17% of colorectal cancers in people older than 50, the authors conclude. However, other research shows that daily aspirin brings with it the risk of internal bleeding (see our earlier piece on [who should and who shouldn’t take a daily aspirin](http://time.com/91726/who-should-and-who-shouldnt-take-daily-aspirin/)). There is also not enough evidence that the risks outweigh the benefits when it comes to [preventing a first heart attacks and stroke](http://time.com/3589576/daily-aspirin-may-not-prevent-heart-attacks/). People should weight the latest evidence with their doctors. ## Transcript New recommendations from a federal group say an aspirin a day may help prevent colorectal cancer, strokes, and heart attacks. Not everyone is excited about the US Preventative Task Force's suggestion, though. Even a low dose of daily aspirin can lead to internal bleeding and other health complications. In 2014, the FDA published a report saying it's not a good idea to use aspirin as a primary tool to prevent a heart attack or stroke. Studies show there's an increased risk of bleeding for long term aspirin users. The issue here is why? It's a baby aspirin, what's the big deal? Yeah. It's 81 milligrams a day. Is that it's not necessarily a benign intervention. People can have GI bleeds, right? So they can have an ulcer that bleeds. Using aspirin to prevent colorectal cancer and heart disease definitely isn't for everyone. The task force says for the best results you need to have not had a heart attack before. Not have a risk for increased bleeding and be able to take the daily dose for at least ten years. Oh, and you need to be between the ages of 50 and 69. The task force has made controversial recommendations before. In 2009, the task force suggested women should wait until age Age 50 to start getting regular mammograms. 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