An aspirin tablet a day can keep bowel cancer at bay. An Oxford University finding indicates aspirin cut cases by a quarter and deaths by more than a third.

The researchers followed up four study groups of 20, 000 patients over a period of 20 years to identify the impact of regular small doses of the drug. The doses were often a quarter of strength of the drug used to treat headaches.

According to a BBC report aspirin reduced the risk of bowel cancer by 24 pc and death due to it by 35 pc. Lead university researcher Professor Peter Rothwell also suggests that people with a high risk of bowel cancer (includes obese and those with a family history of the disease), should give aspirin treatment a particular consideration.