Aspirin lowers risk of hereditary bowel cancer in obese people

ConclusionThis study followed up on a previous trial that found taking aspirin regularly reduced the risk of bowel cancer in people with the genetic condition Lynch syndrome (or HNPCC), which puts them at an increased risk of developing the disease. The study found being obese appears to further increase bowel cancer risk among people with this condition.It also found that BMI did not appear to have an effect on bowel cancer risk among those taking aspirin. While this might indicate that aspirin removes the effect of BMI, ideally a comparison of aspirin versus placebo in the different BMI groups is needed to further assess this. It is likely that the number of people in this trial who fell into the individual BMI categories was not large enough to show an effect.However, this trial may not be representative of what would happen if obese members of the general public took aspirin regularly. The people in this trial were at high risk of bowel cancer because of their condition, and obesity appeared to increase this risk further. Even if taking aspirin can reduce risk in the general public, people may not gain the same benefit as those with Lynch syndrome, and the potential risks associated with aspirin – such as an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding – may outweigh any benefits.We know that being overweight or obese has been linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer and also carries other health risks. Aiming to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight by having...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Obesity Source Type: news