Agency Touts Aspirin for Colon Cancer Prevention

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, the old saying goes. That may apply to aspirin, too, after a medical agency recommended that Americans take more aspirin to preempt heart attacks, strokes and, now, colon cancer, NBC News reports. 

The recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are likely to be controversial, because even low doses of aspirin can sometimes cause deadly internal bleeding in the stomach, intestines and brain. It's not easy to tell who's at risk and the bleeding often doesn't cause symptoms.

But the task force's recommendations are very specific and based on studies that show who can benefit from taking a daily low-dose aspirin.

"This is a new approach that makes a great deal of sense," said Eric Jacobs, of the American Cancer Society. "No major health organization has previously recommended the use of aspirin to prevent cancer."

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