Aspirin has been described as a miracle drug

The research, published in an online edition of The Lancet medical journal, suggests that taking aspirin for several years could help minimise the risk of death from a range of cancers by between a third and a half. It is also reported that the calcium found in milk could improve the drug’s effects.

Scientists involved in the studies have not recommended healthy people begin to take aspirin as this has had links to an increase in internal bleeding, however with the revelations of these findings leading to a shift in favour of aspirin a revision of medical guidelines is thought likely.

Low doses of aspirin aid the prevention of narrowed arteries and blood clots, however researchers have now indicated that aspirin has many more benefits.

Previous studies have indicated that a 75 milligram dose of aspirin per day can help reduce the death rates from bowel cancer by more than a third. Scientists in the U.S. have also reported that the same daily dose helped stop men developing prostate cancer by up to 30%.

The treatment of daily aspirin is said to have the best effect on 45 – 50-year-old’s as this is the age group when most cancers start to develop. There are millions of Britons who are at risk of heart attacks or strokes who are already taking the drug on a regular basis.

By James Massoud