SERAMBINEWS.COM - Alcohol is often linked to cancer.
In fact, in one study, alcohol is referred to as the cause of the growth of 7 types of cancer, such as cancer of the oropharynx (throat), larynx, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum, and breast.
Unfortunately, not much research has been able to answer why and how alcohol can cause cancer.
However, it is now answered.
In a recent study, researchers found that alcohol damages the DNA of stem cells that are responsible for producing new blood.
Research on these mice is then able to explain the relationship between drinking alcohol and cancer.
In a study published in the journal Nature, the researchers gave alcoholic rats a dilute alcohol or known as ethanol.
Furthermore, they used chromosome and DNA analysis to examine the genetic damage caused by acetaldehyde.
Acetaldehyde is a chemical compound produced by the body when consuming alcohol.
"They found that acetaldehyde can break and damage DNA in blood stem cells, leading to a rearranged chromosome and permanently change DNA in these cells," said Cancer Research UK, which funded the study quoted by AFP on Wednesday / 01/2018).
"It's important to understand how DNA blueprints in stem cells are damaged because when things go wrong on healthy stem cells, they can cause cancer," he added.
DNA damage is what can cause cell death at once can trigger the body's natural repair mechanism.
But, if the DNA is not fixed properly, that's what causes cancer.
"While some damage occurred by chance, our findings suggest that drinking alcohol may increase the risk of this damage," said Ketan Patel, lead author of the study, originating from MRC Molecular Biology at Cambridge.
The team also examined how the body counteracts alcohol damage using an enzyme called ALDH.
This enzyme converts acetaldehyde into acetate, a cell that can be used as energy.
According to the team, millions of people in the world, especially in Southeast Asia, lack the enzyme and bring the wrong version.
In mice lacking ALDH and then being given alcohol, they experienced DNA damage fourfold.
"Our research highlights that not being able to treat alcohol effectively can lead to a higher risk of DNA damage, including certain cancers," says Patel.
Malcolm Alison of Queen Mary University of London who is not involved in this research mentions that this is one contributor to the "very high prevalence" of throat cancer in many countries such as China.
In addition, scientists also welcomed the contribution of these findings to basic knowledge.
"This is a wonderful job, which puts our finger on the molecular basis for the relationship between alcohol and an increased risk of cancer and stem cells," said Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz of Univerity of Cambridge. (AFP)
quoted from foyer indonesia online Thursday, 4 January 2018 23:16
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