This week on the NY Times Well Blog is a discussion of whether the health benefits of aspirin have been oversold (or the health risks underreported). The spark to this renewed discussion is a Cochrane review of the aspirin data. What gets lost in the debate, is how important timing is when considering the health benefits of aspirin use. As we’ve previously noted here on CNiC, the benefits of aspirin use for colorectal cancer risk reduction and reduction in colorectal cancer mortality really become apparent after a decade or more of use. With a mean follow-up of 6 years, the latest review by Seshasai et al, wouldn’t capture the full benefit of regular aspirin use.