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Health: Taking Aspirin Could Prevent Some Types Of Cancer

BOSTON, MA (CBS) – New research suggests taking aspirin could ward off certain cancers.

Doctors at Harvard tracked data from about 130,000 patients over 30 years.

They found patients who took two or more aspirin per week reduced their risk of colorectal cancer by 25 percent.

Regular aspirin also reduced the risk of gastrointestinal cancer by 20 percent.

But don't start taking aspiring for no reason. Yin Cao, a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard told CBS News that "patients and their doctors need to consider the potential risks of taking aspirin, including stomach bleeding."

The results of the study were reportedly presented Sunday at an American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Philadelphia.

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