DNA Damage and Genetic Mutations: How Alcohol Causes Cancer

The Findings

Scientists in the UK were able to determine acetaldehyde can break down and permanently damage genetic material within blood stem cells, which can lead to a multitude of issues, such as rearranged chromosomes and alternation of the DNA sequence within these cells. This is a crucial finding, as when healthy DNA within the stem cells is damaged, they give rise to cancer. Professor Ketan Patel who was the senior author of the study stated some cancers could develop due to the DNA damage within stem cells, and although some damage occurs to these cells by fate, drinking alcohol may increase the risk of this damage. Adding further evidence to the claim, The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen - meaning it causes cancer, in human beings.

How does the body protect itself against DNA damage? Learn more now about its natural defense mechanisms against alcohol!

The Body’s First Natural Defence: ALDH Enzyme

The researchers also analyzed how the body tries to protect itself against damage caused by alcohol consumption. The first form of defense the body uses is aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH), a family of enzymes that break down harmful acetaldehyde into acetate, which can be converted into energy for the cells. Millions of people around the world either lack these defensive enzymes or have a faulty version of them within the body. Therefore, when alcohol is consumed, acetaldehyde accumulates within the body system, which results in the patient having a flushed complexion and feeling sick. In the study, when mice lacking the ALDH enzyme, also known as ALDH2, were given alcohol, their DNA was damaged four times more than mice with the ALDH2 enzyme.

Curious about the body’s other form of defense? Read more now!