According to new research people who have had aspirin or ibuprofen at least once in the previous 12 months could be protecting themselves against stomach cancer.

The study published in the British Journal of Cancer was conducted on more than 311,115 people who were examined for seven years and their painkiller consumption in the previous year was analyzed. 73% of the group had used aspirin while 56 % had used other NSAIDs at least once before the start of the study. 25 % reported to use aspirin daily while 10 % used NSAIDs daily.

The researchers found the risk of developing cancer in the middle or lower parts of the stomach dropping by as much as 36 % in people who had aspirin in the previous 12 months while people who had taken any other sort of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibuprofen had a 32 % lower risk for the cancer.

The study also highlighted that the more often people took the drugs the greater was the protective effect. In a contrast to earlier findings, the researchers reported no protection seen against cancer at the top of the stomach or the esophagus. When the study results were combined with earlier published research, a protective effect against all types of stomach cancer was seen.

Study author Dr Christian Abnet, of the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, US, said, "We found the risk of middle and lower stomach cancer was lower in people who had taken aspirin and this lowered the more regularly they took it.

"The number of people who survive at least five years following a diagnosis of stomach or oesophageal cancer is low, so it's important to increase our understanding of ways to prevent the disease." In the UK almost 8000 people a year are diagnosed with stomach cancer and around 5250 die from the disease. Regular aspirin use is not recommended although it has been found to reduce the risk of bowel cancer as its side effects could include bleeding in the stomach.

Dr Lesley Walker, of Cancer Research UK, said, "It's far too early to recommend people take aspirin to protect themselves from these cancers. More research is needed to discover how side-effects can be balanced with the benefits. We would urge people to speak to their doctor before taking aspirin regularly."