A new study reveals that a small daily dose of aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of developing - or dying from - bowel, stomach and esophageal cancer, according to Fox News.
Researchers have found from studies and clinical trials assessing the benefits and harm of aspirin, that taking it for 10 years could cut bowel cancer cases by around 35 percent and deaths from the disease by 40 percent.
Rates of esophageal and stomach cancer were cut down by 30 percent and deaths from these cancers by 35 to 50 percent, according to the website.
The study found that people needed to take the drug for at least five years to see any benefits, according to BBC News.
In the study, professor Jack Cuzick at Queen Mary University of London, who led the research, reportedly urged all healthy people aged 50 and above to consider taking 75mg of the drug every day for a decade.
"Whilst there are some serious side-effects that can't be ignored, taking aspirin daily looks to be the most important thing we can do to reduce cancer after stopping smoking and reducing obesity, and will probably be much easier to implement," stated Prof Cuzick, who has been taking aspirin for four years.
Despite the benefits of taking small doses of aspirin every day, it is reportedly still unclear exactly how long people should use it for because the risk of internal bleeding rises as an individual gets older.
"Aspirin is showing promise in preventing certain types of cancer, but it's vital that we balance this with the complications it can cause," stated Dr. Julie Sharp at Cancer Research UK.
Sharp added, "Before aspirin can be recommended for cancer prevention, some important questions need to be answered and tests need to be developed to predict who is likely to have side-effects."