The Big Number: 23 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer with low-dose aspirin

Many people take a low-dose aspirin daily in hopes of preventing heart problems. Now, researchers have found that women who regularly took a low-dose aspirin – generally 81 milligrams – were 23 percent less likely to develop ovarian cancer than were women who did not take this type of aspirin.

The finding, published in JAMA Oncology, looked at medical data from 205,498 women, including their use of low-dose aspirin, standard dose aspirin (325 mg), acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that do not contain aspirin, such as ibuprofen and naproxen. In more than two decades, 1,054 of the women developed ovarian cancer. Although those taking low-dose aspirin had a lower cancer risk, it appeared there was no beneficial link between ovarian cancer development and taking either standard-dose aspirin or acetaminophen. In fact, the researchers wrote that their “results suggest that heavy use of (NSAIDs) may be associated with an increased risk” for ovarian cancer.

Although not that common, ovarian cancer is the deadliest type of gynecological cancer. Women usually have no symptoms when the disease is in its early stage, so it is often not detected until the cancer is advanced and has spread, making it much harder to treat. Taking low-dose aspirin regularly, however, is not right for everyone. It can increase your risk for bleeding and also lead to stomach ulcers. Talk with your doctor before starting a daily aspirin regimen.