--- 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. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## 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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