Studies have hinted that aspirin could reduce the risk of breast cancer. Researchers at several medical schools in New York looked more closely.

What the researchers wanted to know: Does aspirin reduce the risk of breast cancer?

What they did: Long Island women ages 20 to 98 were interviewed during 1996 and 1997. About 1,500 were newly diagnosed with breast cancer; the other 1,500 were controls without breast cancer. The interview included various questions about risk such as age when they first had a child and family history, as well as how often they took aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen.

What they found: Women who took aspirin daily had a decreased risk of breast cancer. Less frequent aspirin use didn't decrease cancer risk. The association between ibuprofen and breast cancer wasn't clear, but there were fewer women who used ibuprofen regularly. Acetaminophen had no association with breast cancer risk.

What it means to you: Aspirin—or some other drug that works the same way—could help prevent breast cancer. Long-term aspirin use can give you gastrointestinal problems, though.

Caveats: The researchers don't know how much aspirin women were taking each day. Also, women had to remember what medications they'd taken. And over 90 percent of these women were white; the same results might not be found in a more diverse group.

Find out more: Breast cancer information from the National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov

Read the article: Terry, M.B. et al. Association of frequency and duration of aspirin use and hormone receptor status with breast cancer risk. Journal of the American Medical Association. May 26, 2004, Vol. 291, No. 20, pp. 2433–2440.