ABC World News reported what most of us doctors have known for some time: that “at high doses, aspirin can cause side effects, like bleeding and stomach discomfort;” however, we also know that the “low dose of aspirin a lot of people are already taking for their hearts may reduce the risk of colon cancer by a quarter and deaths from the disease by a third.” Now, new research is confirming these earlier findings.
Indeed, “aspirin should not replace screening tests like colonoscopies, and because it has serious side effects … people should talk to their doctors before taking even a low dose of aspirin on a regular basis,” the CBS Evening News reported. Still, “a daily dose of baby aspirin” over a long period of time may be the way to go, especially if you have a family history of colon polyps or colon cancer.
The recommendation is based on European research in which investigators “pooled the 20-year results of four trials with more than 14,000 people,” the Washington Post reports. “Those studies were designed to study aspirin’s use in preventing strokes, not colon cancer.” The current study authors, however, “tracked who developed the disease through cancer registries and death certificates in Britain and Sweden, where the studies were done.”
Other natural medications that are associated with lower rates of colon cancer include vitamin D and calcium. You can read more about that in some of my previous blogs on the topic:

• Vitamin D May Lower Colon Cancer Risk
• Specific vitamins and a supplement (B vitamins, vitamin D, and calcium) may lower risk of stroke, blindness, and cancer