(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
