They show how alcohol damages DNA and generates a dangerous dependence

February 13, 2019

Although many studies guarantee that a glbad of wine can have beneficial effects on health, another large amount of scientific badysis relativizes the few positive aspects of alcohol consumption, regardless of the amount consumed. our organization

At the University of Rutgers in the United States, a group of scientists discovered – in a joint effort with researchers at Yale University's Faculty of Medicine – that Alcohol alters the DNA in a way that can generate the sensation of wanting to consume more and more.

The study focused on two genes related to behavioral control and their modification under the effects of alcohol. The first of them is the PER2, influence in the biological clock, and the POMC, which governs the mechanism of stress response.. After comparing two groups of drinkers – the first moderate consumer and the second with people drinking excessively – they observed that the genes were modified in the latter group: they slowed the production of proteins and stimulated the impulse and taste to take in difficult situations. stress

The more swallows there are, the more the modifications of the genes are accentuated. And so a vicious cycle was initiated: the more alcohol was consumed and therefore the genes were damaged, the more the will to continue compulsively drinking was strong. Cited by the BBC, Professor Dipak Sarkar, lead author of the study, concluded, "We have found that people who drink a lot can change their DNA in a way that makes them want more alcohol. help explain why alcoholism is such a powerful addiction.