A US laboratory study has revealed how the breakdown of alcohol in human cells results in DNA damage that causes cell changes linked to cancer. The study shows how researchers are homing in on the way alcohol is linked to several cancers, particularly breast and liver cancers. Published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, the new research shows that when alcohol - specifically ethanol - is converted inside cells into a chemical called acetaldehyde, the resulting DNA damage triggers a collection of proteins known as the ‘FA-BRCA network’ to respond and coordinate DNA repair.
