Researchers finally gave us plausible explanation regarding how alcohol damages our bodies. Up until now, it has been considered a known fact that acetaldehyde is the main damage causer in alcohol; however, the path of destruction was not clear.
Recently published studies came to a conclusion that is believed to clarify the whole process.
According to the aforementioned studies, the chemical acetaldehyde—which is known to be extremely poisonous—affects the blood stem cells’ DNA by breaking connections within the cells.
Stem cells are key in forming new cells. Whatever affects the stem cells also affects our regenerative system, a system to which we should be grateful just for being alive.
Our bodies work as an entire organization, and each system communicates with the rest of the systems through connections.
Information is passed through links. If those are damaged, it affects the organization as a whole, and DNA suffers the most.
Everything we eat and drink has to be broken down by the digestive system in order to be absorbed by the body. When swallowed, enzymes break alcohol down and form acetaldehyde.
DNA’s double helix of the stem cells become damaged because acetaldehyde breaks the double helix’ strands. In the repairing process, if the damages are too big, it can cause the separation of the stem cells, which is the beginning of forming tumours and cancer.
Basically, tumours are a formation of cells that live “their own lives”, isolating themselves from the body’s society.
Many spiritual leaders have claimed that cancer is a disease of the selfish; however, drinking habits—along with other side effects of our modern-day society—are now known to cause oncological diseases.
The more we drink, the bigger the damage. According to another study, we can count on our repairing system; however, if we drink too much and too fast, the harm is guaranteed. As a saying goes, nothing is dangerous if only in small amounts.
We definitely need to worry about the big amounts, though.
Nothing can really be damage-free if it contains such a poisonous chemical, such as acetaldehyde. This became clear after a researchers gave alcohol, which was diluted, to mice.
They took samples of the mice’s DNA to examine the way acetaldehyde does its work. They found that the mice’s stem cells DNA was irreparably damaged.
Researchers associate the issue with the formation of tumours, such as those in the breast, throat, colon, liver, and many more portions of the body. The DNA damage in stem cells, according to the researchers, can start the formation of tumours.
Women—and especially nursing mothers—have to be cautious regarding alcohol; even the slightest usage can be harmful, as the mice experiment demonstrates.
Health and medical advisers have suggested that more than 3,000 breast cancer cases in women are caused annually by alcohol.
Statistics show that alcohol is the main causer of around six percent of all cancer death cases in the world.
More than 12,000 of those cases with a lethal ending, and those cases started with alcohol abuse.
Higher alcohol abuse results in higher risk of voice box, liver, and throat cancer.
It is a known fact that stress makes people drink in order to escape everyday life problems; however, we should think very carefully about where we seek relief, as alcohol abuse can lead to irreversible health problems and death.
Our body’s regenerative system helps to swipe out acetaldehyde. It produces enzymes, called aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH-2), in the liver. ALDH-2 is usually found in the blood and saliva.
These enzymes break the chemical from acetaldehyde to acetate. According to a study, those people who produce less ALDH-2 enzymes are more likely to be unable to break acetaldehyde effectively.
Studies show that people who drink alcohol are more likely to have other issues, such as bad eating habits. They are also more likely to drink small amounts of water as well as less likely to exercise regularly.
With such a lifestyle, it’s no surprise that the body will work less effectively when trying to protect itself.
If heavy drinking is combined with compromised DNA-repairing systems, this inevitably leads to a greater risk of cancer.
Medical doctors warn us that even if those systems are fully working, we must not rely on that, as everything has its limits.
Another statistic shows that students are alcohol companies’ main target; therefore, they are the most affected by the beverage.
Experts explain that it is extremely important how we approach students regarding alcohol issues. If they are told to stop drinking, it is more likely to actually make them drink more. This phenomenon is related to the “forbidden fruit” theory, which shows that when people are told they cannot do something, they are more likely to do so.
Providing information, statistics, and study results as a method is less not terribly effective when trying to prevent students from engaging in alcohol abuse. Psychology gives an explanation of why is this happening.
The most basic example of why not is when a child is told to stop running. The child will stop for a bit, but the child’s brain has heard only one command, which is “run”. Despite being told to stop running, if we do not give another command to the child to substitute the forbidden one, we will soon see the kid start running again.
Although far from being small children, the thinking mechanisms of students (and even grown-ups) is not so different from that of the young children.
Therefore, the right approach is to give them an example of what they should do, rather than trying to prevent them from something. As a study shows, if students are told that most people do not binge drink to the point of blacking out on a night out, it will be much more effective and will actually stop them from drinking. Again the reason behind is the given example: a command that the brain can follow.
These results urge health care advisers, teachers, and parents to think carefully about the way they handle alcohol-related issues among teenagers, as the risk of an opposite effect increases critically when the approach is flawed.