London: A daily dose of aspirin for over-60s can cut their risk of cancer by up to 40 percent, the Telegraph reported saturday.

A study found that those who took a dose of aspirin every day were two-fifths less likely to develop and die from stomach, oesophageal or colorectal cancer in the following decade.

They also had a 12 percent lower risk of dying from other cancers, adding up to an overall 16 percent lower risk of death from cancer of any type.

Although earlier research had found similar results, the new paper adds to the evidence in favour of taking the drug as a protective measure, according to the newspaper.

The researchers, from the American Cancer Society, studied data on more than 100,000 healthy men and women, most of whom were over 60, and questioned them about their use of aspirin at regular intervals over the next decade.