A recent cancer study determined that a daily dose of aspirin can prevent certain types of cancer, mostly those that affect the digestive tract.

Published in the journal "Annals of Oncology," the study consisted of more than 200 clinical trials to investigate the benefits of aspirin when it comes to preventing cancer.

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When taken over the course of five to 10 years, aspirin has proven to be effective since it combats cancer by reducing inflammation and subduing blood-clotting platelets. These platelets are believed to transport cancer cells in the body.

If individuals ages 50 to 64 in the UK took a daily dose of aspirin for 10 years, the study estimated that around 130,357 cancer-related deaths could be avoided over two decades.

In the clinical studies, bowel cancer cases were reduced by 35 percent while the incidence of stomach and oesophageal cancer were decreased by 30 percent.

The downside is if the entire population took an aspirin every day, around 18,000 deaths would occur due to strokes and internal bleeding.

Although Cuzick is leery of saying outright that aspirin should be prescribed to healthy patients, he said physicians should recommend it and he himself takes a low-dose every day "as part of a bedtime ritual."

Cuzick stressed that although aspirin seems to be vital in reducing cancer after quitting smoking and reducing obesity, no one should take the drug without talking with their physician first, especially since some people are susceptible to bleeding from it.

Dr. Julie Sharp, head of health information at the charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK), said  "Given the continued uncertainty over who should take aspirin, Cancer Research UK is funding a number of trials and research projects to make the picture clearer."

CRUK co-funded Cuzick's study.

Currently, CRUK is funding a trial called Add-Aspirin which aims to test the effectiveness of aspirin in around 10,000 cancer patients. The patients will either be given the drug or a placebo counterpart every day for five years.

The research team was led by Jack Cuzick, Head of Queen Mary, University of London's Center for Cancer Prevention.