Aspirin and NSAIDs in general reduce the risk of several types of cancer.
“Recent data indicate that aspirin-like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) preferentially eliminate premalignant Lgr5+ ISCs (71, 72), largely hypothesized to be the primary cell of origin for the majority of GI cancers.”
“Important evidence that links inflammation and cancer is that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, reduce the risk and mortality from many cancers”
.
From my reading of many papers, anti-inflammatories may have cancer-preventative and life-extension properties.
One of my favorites is Boswellia Serrata (Frankincense) a good anti-inflammatory that also is good for arthritic pain, especially knee pain. Several articles indicate that it is a cancer-preventative, as I believe all anti-inflammatories are.
“Thus, boswellic acid could be useful not only as an epigenetic modulator for the treatment of patients with CRC, it may be effective against other malignancies.”
I use this one after discussions on it being more bioavailable and perhaps being also optimal for brain health and Peter Attia using it
Turmeric and curcumin, no thank you. Very bad for human consumption, stay clear of them. There is plenty of other spices and herbs that are anti-inflammatory and have other benefits also.
We try to be a fact & science based website.
Please - if you are going to offer an opinion on something, please back it up with good data / studies that guided your formation of this opinion.
Since, on the internet, we can’t tell if you’re the world leader in toxicology research on Tumeric and Curcumin at the Buck Institute, or if you’re a high school kid who smokes too much marijuana and who spends his days playing Roblox in the basement and offering opinions on random things.
All we can look to guide our decisions are good data from well-done scientific studies. Opinions about longevity therapies or supplements, etc. don’t mean much here and aren’t worth sharing unless they are backed up by good evidence.
Also - please don’t tell other people what to do (this is a site where people report on experiments that we do). Its fine to say " I don’t do this because of X data", but its a whole other thing to tell others to “stay clear of Y” with no data, no rationale and no nuance. There is someone in the world who will say “stay clear of …” any substance on earth, but thats not a good reason for anything.
I think our goal here (as a site and community) is to identify pros and cons of approaches and supplements, medicines’ etc. - and let people make their own choices given their much better knowledge of their own medical / health situation, biochemistry, budget and risk profile.
Here is some more context, seems like it might be interesting and this version might have solved key parts of the bioavailability/digestion issues
Study lead by the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA Longevity Center, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, and Center for Human Nutrition, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles
• We found that daily oral Theracurmin led to significant memory and attention benefits.
• FDDNP-PET scans performed pre- and post-treatment suggested that behavioral and cognitive benefits are associated with decreases in plaque and tangle accumulation in brain regions modulating mood and memory.
• Curcumin’s cognitive benefits may stem from its anti-inflammatory and/or anti-amyloid brain effects.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1064748117305110
And here discussed by Richard Isaacson, a neurologist and director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian, discusses strategies for staving off Alzheimer’s disease.
Also discussed more recently here:
Curcumin is an HDAC inhibitor that i have taken for the last two years without an identified problem. It may not suit everyone, however.
First thanks for the pointers on aspirin, mag threonate, boswellia, citrus pectin. Noted!
My small add: consider doing genetic testing. I did mine and discovered (via 23&Me and Promethease) that colon cancer is my highest risk (magnitude 4) as I am hetero for the risk allele on the APC gene. I then suggested my son get tested: he did and found he also has the risk allele. Having discovered this, I am now approved by insurance for colonoscopies every three years, with which I gratefully comply. And I am mindful to do everything I know to do to prevent it. So far so good; no polyps and I am 74.
I used the BDMC enhanced Curcumin for Cancer prevention : I use the Prodrome version because it is the cheapest per mg with the 25% coupon. Regular Curcumin only has around 1.5% BDMC.
I also use the CurQFen (with Fenugreek seed) from Swanson for its highest brain penetration, superior even to Theracurcumin . CurQFen uses the same raw material used by the Life Extension Curcumin Elite. I previously used the Longvida version, but the Fenugreek formulation has superior brain penetration based on published data : See Section 4 Curcumin Formulations
Interesting. What is this based on?
I use flax seeds for cancer prevention, especially colon cancer.
Just finished my 5th colonoscopy. They found 2 polyps. One was the largest they’ve found to date. Fortunately neither was malignant. They’re doing a biopsy to determine if they were the pre cancerous type.
I had thought all of my supplements and improved diet (less meat and ultra processed foods) would have prevented polyps from forming, but that appears not to be the case.
I’ll need to do another one in about 3.5 years…
Why do they form? I’ve not had any so far (3 colonoscopies).
I wish I knew why they form. However, considering that colon cancer is increasing in incidence especially for those under 50, it should be taken seriously. My guess it has to be something in our diet such as ultra processed foods.
Last time, they found a tubular adenoma which has a 10% chance of becoming cancer. I’ve had 2 of those removed so far. I have no idea if the 2 removed today were or not.
If you assume that every 3 years you have the chance of developing 1-2 polyps that have a 10% chance of becoming cancerous, you can see how the odds of developing cancer quickly develop into an almost certainty. So, if I hadn’t had these polyps removed, I’d have somewhere between a 20–40% chance of having colon cancer right now.
Fecal blood screening won’t help. It’ll only tell you when you develop malignant cancer. I’d rather take them out when they’re polyps and for that you need a colonoscopy.
Early detection is really important. Maybe it should have its own thread here? If this kind of service was near me I would go for it.
I had 2 colonoscopies so far with no polyps. I was under impression that eating meat and ultra processed foods contributes to growing polyps, but a friend of mine who regularly eats meat and all kinds of sweets and ultra processed deserts just had hers done with no polyps found to my surprise. She’s also pre-diabetic, overweight and never exercises.
I guess there’s a lot to it just like everything else. A healthy body can protect itself. But some people smoke everyday and live to 100. They say genetics only accounts for 10% of longevity but that is on average. For some people I’d bet it’s 100%
I have always had a “clean” colonoscopy. for many reasons, I have been taking aspirin for most of my life.
I know there are downsides, but I have never experienced any negative side effects.
If you can tolerate aspirin without experiencing stomach and intestinal problems it may be an option for prevention.
"Aspirin inhibits several colon cancer-related pathways and inhibits inflammation, which over time leads to cancer,”
Should you take aspirin to prevent colorectal cancer? | UCLA Health.
While many people are cheer leaders for Colonoscopies, I am not when it comes to its universal application. Within my circle, one person died from complications of removing a polyp, and another spent a month in a hospital bed due to perforation. This procedure has real risks associated with it.
So one should understand the cost/benefit return. A very good researcher on epidemiology of cancer screenings is Dr. Gilbert Welch, MD Skepticism about cancer screening: An Interview with Dr. H. Gilbert Welch | by Felipe Nogueira, PhD | Medium
I have a neighbor who was a pioneer of the current saturation of the colonoscopy procedure that currently exists. The procedure was previously done in a doctor’s office and most likely with minimal anesthesia. A very smart man and when I ask questions, one of the main points I walk away from is that this procedure requires a surgeons skill. (See how to choose your gastroenterologist or surgeon ) Does anyone here even know who did their procedure? Or their skill?
I will add on more thing. Another neighbor of mine, married to a doctor, died at 40 due to colon cancer. He ignored symptoms of bleeding. He might have saved his life with this procedure. Left behind a wife and small children. So tragic.
Understand risk - it is so pertinent to our safety. N=1 should always trump whether to have a cancer screening that “In colorectal cancer screening, there are complications from colonoscopy and from polypectomies (e.g. bleeding, perforations).” Dr. Gilbet Welch Don’t just have it to make yourself feel virtuous and good about your health.