Not just the liver, heart, and kidneys, drinking alcohol can damage your DNA too

According to Dr Javeri, genetic studies provide new evidence that alcohol accelerates biological ageing. “Results of a new analysis indicate that alcohol directly damages DNA, by shortening protective telomeres that are responsible for repetitive DNA sequences that cap the end of chromosomes, protecting them from damage. According to researchers from NIMHANS, excessive alcohol consumption can cause irreversible changes to the DNA and these changes can persist even when alcohol is no longer consumed,” Dr Javeri noted.

Acetaldehyde is a highly reactive carcinogenic compound that damages DNA (Source: Pixabay)

The February 2021 study, conducted on 52 men aged 21 to 40 years who attended the NIMHANS Center for Addiction Medicine outpatient clinic from March 2015 to April 2016 seeking treatment for alcohol problems, noted that excessive consumption of alcohol resulted in alcohol use disorder (AUD), altered DNA in men, and these changes can persist for at least three months during both complete withdrawal and reduction in consumption. The study was published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics.

How can alcohol impact DNA?

Acetaldehyde is a highly reactive carcinogenic compound that damages DNA by causing point mutation or DNA-DNA cross links, said Dr Manisha Arora, senior consultant, Internal Medicine at Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute Delhi. “Alcohol consumption increases blood and salivary acetaldehyde levels, which increases the risk of squamous cell carcinoma in gastrointestinal tract,” Dr Arora said.

As per cancer research uk.org, alcohol is broken down via a strict process and converted into energy. “And it’s acetaldehyde, at the centre of this chain, that’s the weakest link. If acetaldehyde isn’t broken down further, it builds up in cells where it damages DNA in a way that could cause cancer,” the 2018 research notes.

This reaction, called methylation, may alter the expression of numerous genes and even have harmful effects, Dr Bir Sehrawat, HOD and director, department of gastroenterology, Marengo QRG Hospital, Faridabad told indianexpress.com. “Even when heavy drinkers stopped drinking, their methylation levels did not return to those of non-drinkers, indicating that alcohol-related chemical alterations in the DNA are not reversible,” Dr Sehrawat told indianexpress.com.

Agreed Dr Bhavana MV, consultant – microbiology, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, Bangalore and said that “there is some evidence that chronic alcoholism can cause some DNA changes and that can contribute to tumour initiation and progression”. “It is known that chronic alcohol consumption is an important risk factor for liver and few of the gastrointestinal cancers,” Dr Bhavana said.

Dr Arora also stressed that alcohol creates oxidative stress, another form of DNA damage, that can be particularly dangerous to the cells that line blood vessels. “Oxidative stress can lead to stiffened arteries, resulting in higher blood pressure and coronary artery disease to body. It fundamentally affects DNA, and that’s why it affects so many organs and tissues. In a lifetime, chronic consumption damages tissues and cells over time”.

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