DNA damage and cancer tumors - the deadly alcohol consequences

British scientists prove the destructive properties of alcohol

Alcohol is unhealthy. This information should not be new to most people. The World Health Organization gives alcohol the highest warning level in the group of carcinogens. How dangerous alcohol really is for our bodies and why consumption is carcinogenic, British scientists have now found out in experiments on mice. The results of the research provide a simple explanation of how alcohol causes genetic damage.

According to new research, alcohol has several effects on human health. The degradation of alcohol produces the harmful chemical acetaldehyde. This chemical has the potential to damage DNA from stem cells and, as a result, increase the risk of cancer in seven cancers, such as breast and colon cancer. Furthermore, the results provide information on how the body tries to protect itself against the damaging effects with the help of enzymes.

British scientists prove the disastrous effects of alcohol. These include an increased risk of developing seven cancers. (Image: underdogstudios / fotolia.com)

Why can alcohol cause cancer?

Acetaldehyde, an intermediate in alcohol degradation, can cause DNA double strand breaks, scientists say. When the body tries to repair it, chromosomal rearrangements can occur. This alcohol-induced mutation of the stem cell genome is the cause of the increased cancer risk.

In most people, acetaldehyde is rapidly broken down in the body, but some people lack the enzyme to do so. Even with excessive alcohol consumption, the defense mechanisms are virtually put out of action and can not break down the harmful acetaldehyde fast enough.

Experiments on genetically modified mice provided the results

Scientists Juan Garaycoechea and Mike Stratton and their teams at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute conducted experiments on mice.

The mice were so genetically modified that they had no key genes for the removal of aldehydes and thus the helplessness of the alcohol were helpless. The mice had many chromosomal rearrangements, which were further increased by the action of alcohol, eventually causing the stem cells to quit and halt the production of blood.

Further findings on the treatment of blood cancer

In addition, the research team found that most of the stem cells that had suffered DNA damage died due to the activation of p53. The protein p53 is measurable in many types of degenerate cells in an increased amount. By removing the p53 gene, most of the aldehyde-damaged stem cells were now able to survive, but this unexpectedly did not seem to lead to greater genome damage.

These new insights into the function of p53 in blood stem cells may explain why certain blood cancers become resistant to chemotherapy. (Fp)