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Daily aspirin accelerates cancer in the elderly


TomBAvoider

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Remember when a daily baby aspirin was touted as a cancer preventative agent back in the day not too long ago? Well, now they're saying the very opposite - a daily aspirin accelerates cancer. And so it goes with drugs, supplements and various dietary recommendations. Supplemental vitamins and minerals were a fountain of health and youth and then one by one were found to be the opposite - and then back to good and then bad again. Wait long enough and it'll flip flop to any position you wish. Here we go again:

Daily aspirin may up growth, spread of cancers in older adults

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15 hours ago, TomBAvoider said:

Remember when a daily baby aspirin was touted as a cancer preventative agent back in the day not too long ago? Well, now they're saying the very opposite - a daily aspirin accelerates cancer

Actually,  there's no contradiction at all.      Aspirin may prevent certain cancers (eg.colon cancer) if taken early and long enough ,  and  may possibly increase the risk for "progression and metastasis as well as mortality related to later-stage disease" if taken late in life with cancers already initiated.

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"Possible explanations for this finding include aspirin suppressing (or 'blunting') antitumor inflammatory or immune responses critical to controlling later-stage growth and spread," the authors write.

"Such an effect may be particularly evident among an older population for which underlying antitumor immunity may already be compromised."

That kind of dual action in relation to cancer is characteristic of a huge number of vitamins, phytochemicals and drugs.  Double-edged swords are the norm,  not the exception.

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Notably, the vast majority of the study participants did not previously take aspirin before age 70 

So, obviously they started  too late to get any potential cancer-prevention benefits (it takes a minimum of 5 years of intake; see Rothberg's studies).

And note the conclusion of the study's lead author (but, course, " several authors disclosed financial ties to Bayer!"):

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"Although these results suggest that we should be cautious about starting aspirin therapy in otherwise healthy older adults, this does not mean that individuals who are already taking aspirin—particularly if they began taking it at a younger age—should stop their aspirin regimen," Dr. Chan added

If you are looking for a supplement or drug that works in all cases,  in all individuals,  at all ages,  and at every stage of a disease,  you will never find one. 

 

15 hours ago, TomBAvoider said:

Supplemental vitamins and minerals were a fountain of health and youth and then one by one were found to be the opposite

Not really  (putting aside your hyperbole). Vitamin D would be a clear case in point-- very strong evidence for health-promoting effects  even  beyond the correction of "frank deficiencies".  

Besides,  most  of those "found to be the opposite"  studies were subsequently shown to be problematic and over-hyped.

What has been found is that human biology is very complicated,  individuals vary greatly,  and black and white pronouncements, as the type you  have a predilection for,  are rarely if ever valid or useful.

Edited by Sibiriak
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