A new study has found that taking aspirin can double the risk of melanoma – but only in men.
Researchers from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine sought to see if aspirin had any protective effects against skin cancer (as it does with some other cancers), and were shocked to find the opposite, Allure reports.
Published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, their study of data on more than 200,000 patients between the ages of 18 and 89 found that men taking a daily aspirin had nearly double the risk of melanoma.
As for the women? It made no difference.
“We really don’t know for sure why we saw the increased risk for men only and not for women,” study author and Professor of Dermatology Beatrice Nardone told Allure, speculating that enzyme differences and simple lifestyle factors (i.e. you’re so much more likely to wear sunscreen regularly than your man) may play a part.
But don’t go ditching the aspirin just yet – the study doesn’t suggest that popping the odd pill to cope with a headache is going to increase your risk of skin cancer, and it’s still recommended by doctors for patients with a history of heart attack or stroke.
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