Alcohol Raises Risk of Cancer
Reported April 22, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Excessive alcohol use has been linked to the acceleration of deteriorating telomere DNA, found at the end of chromosomes, which researchers say increases the risk of cancer.
Researchers say telomeres are an important part of the DNA that genetically stabilizes cells. As people age, telomeres shorten, and the consumption of alcohol expedites this process. Telomere shortening is thought to be linked with increased risk of cancer.
In the study, researchers measured serum DNA among 59 participants who abused alcohol and 197 participants with recreational alcohol consumption. Results showed that the length of the telomere cells dramatically shortened in the participants who consumed large amounts of alcohol. The telomere length of alcohol abusers was nearly half the length of the non-abusers.
The decrease we found in telomere length is very sharp, lead researcher Andrea Baccarelli, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Center of Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology at the Ca Granda Hospital Foundation at the University of Milan, Italy, was quoted as saying. We were surprised to find such a strong effect at the cellular level.
SOURCE: American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting, April 2010