Other studies have suggested that aspirin can help with cancer prevention and survival. They showed that aspirin may help prevent cancers of the stomach, intestines and colon. In 2008, European researchers reported that aspirin may have what they called a “long-term protective effect against colorectal cancer.” Peter Rothwell of the University of Oxford led the researchers. They found that people who took one aspirin a day for about six years reduced their risk of colon cancer by 24 percent. And, deaths from the disease dropped by 35 percent.

In 2010, the Lancet published the combined results of a larger observational study, also led by Professor Rothwell. This time, he and other researchers found that taking a small aspirin once a day reduced death rates from a number of common cancers.

Aspirin does not help everything, however. It can cause problems, like an increased danger of stomach bleeding and ulcers. And it can interfere with other medicines. Also, some people should not take aspirin. These include people who take other blood thinners or have bleeding disorders. Pregnant women are usually also told to avoid aspirin.

Research has shown a link between aspirin use and a condition called Reye's syndrome. Children’s doctors say patients up to age 19 should not take anything containing salicylatic products when sick with high temperatures. Recently, American researchers reported finding a small link between aspirin use and one kind of blindness. Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, affects older adults. It limits their ability to see objects directly in front of them.