Aspirin may cut breast cancer risk for women with diabetes

Low-dose aspirin may reduce breast cancer risk for women with diabetes, researchers suggest.
Researchers have long known that diabetes can increase a woman's risk of breast cancer. A new study, however, suggests that this risk could be significantly reduced with long-term use of low-dose aspirin.

Diabetes is estimated to affect more than 29.1 million people in the United States, or 9.3 percent of the population.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form, arising when the body can no longer use the hormone insulin effectively, which can lead to high blood sugar levels.

Previous research has uncovered a link between diabetes and increased risk of breast cancer. One study published in 2012, for example, identified a 20 percent increase in breast cancer among women with diabetes.

While the precise mechanisms behind this association are unclear, researchers have suggested that it may be down to changes in the body caused by diabetes, such as increased inflammation and high blood glucose.

Now, a research team from Taiwan - including Dr. Yi-Sun Yang of the Chung Shan Medical University in Taichung - suggests that a daily dose of aspirin could help to lower breast cancer risk for women with diabetes.

The researchers recently published their study in the Journal of Women's Health.
Breast cancer risk reduced by 47 percent

To reach their findings, Dr. Yang and colleagues retrieved data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. They identified 148,739 women who had been diagnosed with diabetes.

Over 14 years of follow-up, the researchers assessed the incidence of breast cancer among women who were taking daily low-dose aspirin, defined as 75 to 165 milligrams per day.

Compared with women who did not take low-dose aspirin every day, those who did were found to have an 18 percent lower risk of breast cancer over 14 years.

Additionally, the researchers found that women who took a high cumulative dose of aspirin over 14 years of follow-up - defined as at least 88,900 milligrams - had a 47 percent reduced breast cancer risk.

"This indicates a reduced risk of breast cancer in patients who must continue their daily low-dose aspirin use for 2.5 years or longer," write the authors.

There was no link identified between low (under 8,600 milligrams) and medium (8,600 to 88,900 milligrams) cumulative doses of aspirin and breast cancer risk during follow-up.

The findings remained after accounting for a number of possible confounding factors, including the age of participants and the presence of other illnesses.

Dr. Yang and team say that further studies are needed to confirm the link between the use of low-dose aspirin and reduced risk of breast cancer for women with diabetes, but the findings show promise.

    "Women with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of breast cancer, and these results suggest that the same low-dose aspirin that many of these women take to prevent cardiovascular disease may also help reduce their risk of breast cancer."

Credit:
Honor Whiteman (MNT)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NEEM TREE & MEDICINAL USES

Image
NEEM TREE & MEDICINAL USES "Dogo Yarow" The TREE of LIFE The Magical Evergreen Tree The neem plant is native to India but gradually spread to many parts of the world over the years. IT HAS BEEN USED LOCALLY AS MEDICINE OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS, AND OVER THE CENTURIES IN PHARMACEUTICALS, COSMETICS AND TOILETRIES. Almost every part of this wonder plant is Medicinal, ranging from roots, bark, twigs, leaves, flowers and seeds...... It's very common within the Hausa communities in Cameroon more especially in the Northen regions which predominantly occupied by the Hausa ethnic group. They call it Dogo Yarow which when translated means, TALL CHILD or TALL PIKIN in Pidgin English..... MEDICINAL USES OF THE TREE OF LIFE - NEEM: * Cardiac Problems: Infusions of leaves in HOT water when taken removes bad sugars and toxins from blood, dilates blood vessels, improves blood circulation and balances heart pumping rates * High Blood Pressure: It relaxes erratic heart beats a
Read more

TAPE WORMS: Unwanted 'Guests' in the Intestines

Image
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=261432537653223&id=193799827749828 Tapeworms are flat, segmented worms that live in the intestines of some animals. Animals can become infected with these parasites when grazing in pastures or drinking contaminated water. Eating undercooked meat from infected animals is the main cause of tapeworm infection in people. Although tapeworms in humans usually cause few symptoms and are easily treated, they can sometimes cause serious, life-threatening problems. That's why it's important to recognize the symptoms and know how to protect yourself and your family. Tapeworm Causes Six types of tapeworms are known to infect people. They are usually identified by the animals they come from -- for example, Taenia saginata from beef, Taenia solium from pork, and Diphyllobothrium latum from fish. Tapeworms have a three-stage lifecycle: egg, an immature stage called a larva, and an adult stage at which the worm can produce more eggs. Bec
Read more

8,260 students graduate as ABU holds 40th convocation tomorrow

Image
The 40th convocation ceremony of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria will hold tomorrow with 8,260 students graduating with first degrees. The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Ibrahim Garba, made this known during a press briefing yesterday, saying that the convocation would confirm the graduation of 256 PhD students. He said the number of PhD and about 3,600 other postgraduate graduands was a confirmation of the new status that ABU had assumed where priority was given to postgraduate studies. Professor Garba said ABU was expanding its carrying capacity through introduction of new programmes to accommodate more applicants who usually overwhelmed the school. “It is in this direction that we now allow more institutions to run degree programmes with our affiliation.  We have also introduced distance learning where we admit hundreds of students and we would commence undergraduate studies in the centre,” he said.
Read more