Originally Posted by Karpems

First of all, this is one person in England at a school I have never even heard of. You need to read much more than this.

In Sept 2006, it was reported by Temple University that Aspirin actually upregulates colon cancer cells:

Aspirin upregulates expression of urokinase type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) gene in human colon cancer cells through AP1.

* Jamaluddin MS.

Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA


From the American Heart Association:
The American Heart Association recommends aspirin use for patients who've had a myocardial infarction (heart attack), unstable angina, ischemic stroke (caused by blood clot) or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs or "little strokes"), if not contraindicated. This recommendation is based on sound evidence from clinical trials showing that aspirin helps prevent the recurrence of such events as heart attack, hospitalization for recurrent angina, second strokes, etc. (secondary prevention). They go on to state, "Low-dose aspirin increases risk for gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic stroke. Do not use in people at increased risk for these diseases."





Taking a drug must always include a discussion of a risk/benefit ratio. I am not saying that taking an ASA a day is the wrong thing to do, I am just suggesting that you need to talk to your doctor first before you decide to take any drug on a regular basis. At age 50, there are many other things I would check out before just taking ASA everyday, such as getting your cholesterol and triglycerides checked, your blood pressure checked, along with a complete physical every year and a colonoscopy. These are proven to be lifesavers!