Drink a glass of wine a day? Studies reveal that alcohol can cause DNA damage and cause 7 types of Cancer
For years alcohol was considered as a relatively harmful drink whenever it was consumed in excess, however it was often recommended as an antioxidant in most people, as in the case of wine, in order to prevent degenerative, cardiovascular diseases, mouth infections, among others.
A new study recently released, puts in check the recommendation to take a drink a day of alcohol, since the effect has been observed unfavorably in mice, producing an alteration of the chromosomal material of hematopoietic cells, causing a mutation in them with the consequence of the development of cancer.
Drinking alcohol greatly increases the risk of developing 7 different types of cancer, according to research conducted by the Scientists of the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom.
The cause of the possible increased risk of developing a neoplasm is due to the high toxicity produced by acetaldehyde, a metabolite caused by the oxidation of alcohol in our body. However, the physiology of our body fights that with an enzyme called ALDH2, responsible for transforming acetaldehyde into an acetate molecule, the latter responsible for giving energy to the body's cells for their different functions.
The researchers created a species of mice that lacked the enzyme ALDH2, so they showed the absence of the metabolic development of acetaldehyde in acetate, demarcating mainly the harmful effects of Ethanol on their bodies, when these were supplied.
The result was obtained after checking the hematopoietic cells of the bone marrow of the rodents, finding an increase of 4 times more chromosomal damage, producing instability in the genome and breaks in the DNA chain, a product of the accumulation of acetaldehyde, a comparison of those who were not subjected to diluted alcohol.
However, the activation of the repair system against these damaged cells was observed, this action being carried out in a defective way, causing a defective chromosomal reorganization when trying to repair the damage to them.
Although the organism wishes to place in homeostasis in front of the presence of acetaldehyde, thanks to the enzyme ALDH2, not all human beings possess it, it is estimated that there are more people with this condition in Southeast Asia, so it is emphasized in that if it is not capable of effectively processing alcohol, a sign that is present through a flushed skin and little tolerance to alcoholic beverages, can cause an accumulation of its metabolites, causing damage to the genome and with it an imperfect repair of DNA, causing cancer in different types, including people with an intact immunology.
Up to 7 types of Cancer
Cell damage can occur in different ways, due to imperfect DNA repair, even if the person carries an effective immunity, so it is estimated that can cause 7 types of cancer, such as breast, intestine, mouth, throat , esophagus and larynx, structures that are in constant contact with the brew and others that can be affected by neighborhood.
Ketan Patel, Head of Research at the CRU, notes: "Some cancers develop due to DNA damage in the stem cells, which indicates that drinking alcohol can increase this risk."
Irrelevant effects
Jennie Connor, leader of the research published in 2016 in the journal "Addiction" and belonging to the University of Otago, New Zealand, made a follow-up report of empirical nature, collecting data for about 10 years, these being obtained from different institutions oncological scientists such as, The World Foundation for Cancer Research, the American Institute for Cancer Research, the International Agency for Cancer Research and the Global Group on Alcoholism, etc.
In analysis, the scientist points out that alcohol has produced half a million deaths in 2012, that is, 5.8% of cancer deaths in the world.
Although this factor increases the risk of triggering one of the 7 neoplasms in different parts of the body in people who consume large volumes, those who do it in a moderate way also risk it.
According to evidence-based cases, Connor refers to the belief that drinking 1 glass of red wine per day for positive effects to the heart is irrelevant, since the comparison of the increase in developing some type of cancer is greater than its benefit.
Susana Brown, head of the scientific program at the World Foundation for Cancer Research, spoke about Connor's work: "Many people believe that alcohol consumption is only linked to liver cancer, but this report confirms the findings of our project that the drink is strongly linked to an increasing number of different evils, including two of the most common: intestine and breast.