Health Highlights: April 29, 2009

April 30 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Taking Aspirin May Reduce Adults' Cancer Risk: Study

People who take aspirin in their 40s may reduce their risk of cancer later in life, suggest Cancer Research UK experts who reviewed scientific studies.

Pre-cancerous lesions tend to start developing when people are in their mid-40s, said lead researcher Professor Jack Cuzick, BBC News reported. Aspirin blocks the effects of proteins that can trigger inflammation and which are found at high levels in several types of cancer. So, taking aspirin in your mid-40s may prevent that damage from progressing to full-blown cancer.

But the researchers, whose study was published in The Lancet Oncology, emphasized that much more research needs to be done before any recommendations about the regular use of aspirin for cancer prevention can be made.

"Future research and more clinical trials are needed to better identify those people who are at high risk of developing cancers and at low risk of side effects, who will benefit most from aspirin treatment," Cuzick said, BBC News reported.

Dr. Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK's director of cancer information, agreed. "It's too soon to recommend that people take aspirin to try and stop cancer developing because of the side effects. "It's important that any decision to take aspirin regularly is only made in consultation with a (doctor)."

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Heart Rate Predicts Heart Attack Risk: Study

A mental stress-related increase in heart rate before exercise appears to be associated with an increased risk of heart attack later in life for men, says a French study that included more than 7,700 men who were followed for an average of 23 years.

Those whose heart rate increased by more than 12 beats per minute during mild mental stress prior to an exercise test at the start of the study were twice as likely to die of sudden heart attack later in life than men whose heart rate increased by less than 4 beats per minute, CBC News reported.