Studies

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Long-term aspirin use reduces colorectal cancer risk in men
The use of regular, long-term aspirin and NSAIDs reduced the risk associated with colorectal cancer, according to a study published in the January issue of Gastroenterology.  However, the study also found that the use of aspirin for chemoprevention of colorectal cancer may require using the drug at doses that are higher than recommended over a long period of time. 

Read the study here: http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/PIIS0016508507017453/fulltext
View as a PDF( , 136 kb)

Regular use of aspirin can reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease.
Regular use of NSAIDS, including aspirin, can reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease by as much as 60 percent, according to researchers at UCLA. Researchers studied 579 men and women from California, half of whom had Parkinson's disease, and found women who were regular users of aspirin reduced their likelihood of developing the disease by 40 percent. It was especially beneficial to women who took aspirin regularly for more than two years. 

http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/69/19/1836

Aspirin found to lower heart disease in women Women who take aspirin in low or moderate doses reduce their risk of dying from any cause, particularly heart disease, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School found that women in the study who took one to 14 aspirin a week reduced their risk of dying from heart disease by 38 percent and by 25 percent from all causes. The researchers used 24 years of data from 79,439 nurses enrolled in the Nurses Health Study. March 26, 2007. 

Read the study here: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/167/6/562
View as a PDF ( , 117 kb)

Aspirin May Keep Adult-Onset Asthma Away Research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine suggests that aspirin may reduce the development of asthma in adults.  The study found that among a large group of healthy men, those taking a single aspirin every other day were 22 percent less likely to develop asthma than those who did not.  January 15, 2007.

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Aspirin May Help Combat Enlarged Prostate
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic announced that the use of certain NSAIDs, including aspirin, could help reduce or delay by half the risk of an enlarged prostate. August 30, 2006

Read the abstract here: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-08/...
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Australian research finds that the regular use of NSAIDs, including aspirin therapy, could offer protection against skin cancer and and the growth of certain types of malignant cells by blocking the COX enzyme, which allows some types of skin cancer to develop. November 7, 2005.

Read the abstract here: http://www.eblue.org/article/...
View as a PDF (, 106kb)

Aspirin is just as effective as warfarin, a prescription drug sold as Coumadin, in preventing strokes caused by partial blockage of the arteries in the brain, and is safer, according to research from Atlanta's Emory University. April 4, 2005

Read about it here: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=627089
View as a PDF (, 149kb)

In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that aspirin helps prevent stroke in women, and heart attack in those at highest risk -- women 65 years of age and older. March 7, 2005.
Read the study here (, 347kb)
The Aspirin Foundation responds

Stroke patients who stop aspirin therapy may triple risk of another stroke. February 4, 2005

Stroke patients who discontinued their low-dose aspirin therapy tripled their risk of a recurrent stroke, compared with those who maintained their aspirin regimen, according to new research. The study found that most of the subsequent strokes occurred within a week and the rest within a month.

Read more here: http://www.heartcenteronline.com/myheartdr/...
Alternate Download (, 147kb)

Aspirin may aide in survival of prostate cancer, October 4, 2004

Researchers at Philadelphia's Fox Chase Cancer Center presented research finding that men who regularly take aspirin may increase their chances of survivng prostate cancer.

Read the study here: http://www.cancerfacts.com
Alternate Download (, 110kb)

New Report Refutes "Aspirin Resistance". September 21, 2004

A report in Circulation refutes the idea of “aspirin resistance,” stating that such reactions to aspirin are no different than those associated with other cardiovascular drugs.

Read the report here: PDF (, 24kb)

Aspirin may reduce the risk of breast cancer. May 26, 2004
Research conducted at Columbia University found that the regular use of aspirin may reduce the risk of breast cancer, particularly among women with hormone-sensitive tumors. And those who used aspirin frequently (at least seven tablets a week) received the most benefits.

Read the study here: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/291/20/2433.pdf (, 109kb)
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Aspirin may lower the risk of Hodgkin's disease. February 17, 2004
Research from the Harvard School of Public Health finds that low-dose aspirin use may lower the risk of Hodgkin's disease.

Read the story here: http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Living/ap20040218_226.html
PDF (, 105kb)

Aspirin may lower risk of prostate cancer. February 12, 2004
A meta-analysis of research on aspirin and prostate cancer by researchers from Canada's McGill University found that aspirin was associated with a 30 percent reduction in the risk of advanced prostate cancer and a 10 percent reduction in total prostate cancer risk.

Read the meta-analysis here: http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/bjc/journal/v90/n1/full/6601416a.html
PDF (, 235kb)

Higher doses of aspirin may help reduce the risk of colon cancer. February 3, 2004
New research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds that aspirin in doses higher than those recommended for the prevention of a heart attack may offer protection against colon cancer. The study of 27,000 women showed that as aspirin use increased, the risk of developing a cancerous tumor fell. The authors call for more research on the link between aspirin and chemoprevention.

View the abstract here: http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/140/3/157
PDF (, 179kb)

View the summary for patients here: http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/140/3/I-24
PDF (, 149kb)

Aspirin may help prevent a first heart attack. September 22, 2003
A meta-analysis involving more than 55,000 patients finds that aspirin may help prevent a first heart attack, and for apparently healthy individuals whose 10-year risk of a first heart attack is 10 percent or greater, the benefits of long-term aspirin use may outweigh any risks. The study is also the first to show that apparently healthy women who may be at risk may benefit from aspirin therapy as much as men.

PDF (, 79kb)

Aspirin may help in the prevention of adult leukemia. June 13, 2003
In a study among women, researchers found that those who regularly took aspirin had less than half the rate of adult leukemia than those who did not take aspirin.

University of Minnesota press release: PDF (, 61kb)

Aspirin as effective as ticlopidine, say researchers. June 11, 2003
Research presented in JAMA shows that aspirin is just as effective as, and in some cases preferential to, ticlopidene in preventing ischemic stroke among African American patients.

Read the study here: http://jama.ama-assn.org/...
Also available as a PDF (, 278kb)

Research shows that aspirin therapy may help prevent breast cancer. April 8, 2003
Research conducted at Ohio State University and sponsored by the National Cancer Institute found that regular aspirin use among women may significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Read the abstract here. Also available as a PDF (, 69kb)

Further research finds that aspirin may help prevent colon cancer. March 6, 2003
Research presented in the New England Journal of Medicine (March 6, 2003) found that aspirin therapy lowered the risk of colorecytal polyps, the precursors to most cases of colon cancer. Read the abstracts here.
Abstract 1 Also available as a PDF. (, 159kb)
Abstract 2 Also available as a PDF. (, 156kb)

Aspirin first line of therapy for migraine relief. November 19, 2002
The two largest groups of primary care physicians -- The American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine and the American Academy of Family Physicians -- are recommending aspirin as a first line of therapy in the prevention and treatment of migraines. Read their recommendations here.
Read the PDF version of report here. (, 223kb)

Aspirin found to help reduce mortality rate following bypass surgery. October 24, 2002. Research presented in the New England Journal of Medicine found that aspirin taken in the first 48 hours following bypass surgery dramatically reduced patients' mortality rate. The study involved more than 5,000 patients in 70 hospitals in 17 countries. Read the abstract here.
Read the PDF version of report here. (, 171kb)

The World Health Organization includes aspirin therapy among its recommendations for reducing cardiovascular death and disability. October 17, 2002
The worldwide mortality rate from heart attacks or stroke could be reduced by half in part through the availability of inexpensive drugs, including aspirin, says the World Health Organization. View the report here.
Read the PDF version of report here. (, 88kb)

Aspirin use may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. September 24, 2002
A study of 5,000 residents of Cache County, Utah appears to offer more evidence that aspirin use may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. View the abstract here.
Read the PDF version of abstract here. (, 113kb)

Aspirin use may decrease the risk of pancreatic cancer, study finds. August 7, 2002
Research conducted at the University of Minnesota and published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute finds that women who regularly take aspirin may be less likely to get pancreatic cancer. Read the Journal's abstract here.
Read the AFA's statement here.

Aspirin use can reduce the risk of death following stroke. July 9, 2002
Aspirin administered within 48 hours following an ischemic stroke can reduce the risk of death and can limit stroke damage, according to the American Academy of Neurology and the American Stroke Association. Read the ASA's statement here.
Read the PDF version of statement here. (, 65kb)

Researchers find another possible application for aspirin in the prevention of heart attack and stroke. May 14, 2002.
Aspirin's anti-clotting qualities are well-known in fighting cardiovascular events and stroke. But researchers have also found that aspirin's anti-inflammatory properties can bring down the inflammation of the arteries associated with cardiovascular disease, providing another benefit of aspirin therapy. The researchers also believe that aspirin use could help in reducing the risk of inflammation-related deaths following some types of surgery. Read the Circulation abstract here.
PDF version of abstract. (, 24kb)

Aspirin may reduce risk of colon cancer. April 8, 2002.
Research conducted at Dartmouth Medical School finds that aspirin can be beneficial in preventing the polyps that can eventually become colon cancer.
Read the PDF version of article here. (, 119kb)

Aspirin may reduce risk of prostate cancer. March 11, 2002
Preliminary research from the Mayo Clinic points to a possible link between regular use of aspirin and other NSAIDs and a reduced risk of prostate cancer.
See the Mayo Clinic statement here: http://www.mayo.edu/comm/mcr/news_2018.html
PDF version of Mayo Clinic statement. (, 23kb)

Aspirin therapy benefits heart patients. March 8, 2002
Although the number of heart patients on aspirin therapy has increased significantly, it is still underused, reports the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Researchers at the Duke University Medical Center found that patients who did not take aspirin regularly had nearly twice the risk of dying as those who did.
Read the PDF version of statement here. (, 33kb)

Aspirin and other NSAIDs may block virus. February 26, 2002
Aspirin and other painkillers may block the replication of a common virus linked to birth defects and immune disorders such as AIDS by eliminating its access to prostaglandins, on which the virus depends. The research was published in the February 26, 2002 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
See the abstract by the National Academy for the Sciences
PDF version of the National Academy for the Sciences abstract (, 45kb)

The US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations. January 28, 2002
The US Preventive Services Task Force - an independent panel of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, comprised of private-sector experts in primary care and prevention - is advising physicians to consider aspirin therapy for patients who have not had cardiovascular events or stroke but are at risk.
See the USPSTF's recommendations here: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/3rduspstf/aspirin/aspsum1.htm
PDF version of USPSTF's recommendations (, 68kb)

Aspirin therapy underprescribed. January 12, 2002
A British Medical Journal meta-analysis found that antiplatelet therapy -- including aspirin therapy -- is underprescribed among those patients at risk of cardiovascular events or stroke.
See the British Medical Journal report: http://bmj.com/cgi/reprint/324/7329/71.pdf
PDF version of British Medical Journal report(, 409kb)

Aspirin can reduce the severity of ischemic stroke. December 2001
Aspirin can reduce the severity of ischemic stroke, according to research published in the December 2001 issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
See the abstract by the Journal of the American Heart Association
PDF version of Journal of the American Heart Association abstract (, 21kb)