Casual alcohol use ‘affects cell genetics’

Alcohol has been shown to have a significant impact on the DNA of teenagers' cells.

A trail at the Clinical Biochemistry at the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico found teenagers who drank at the weekend suffered significantly higher chromatin damage as a result of increased oxidative enzyme activity inside the cell.

The results, published in Journal Alcohol, revealed in the group of alcohol consuming individuals there was genetic damage in 44 per cent of cells compared to eight per cent of the cells in the control group.

Although damage was not extensive, the true nature of the changes are not yet known and the next step would be to identify the effects of occasional alcohol use on complex mechanisms like the histones.

“When we talk about youth alcohol abuse, we are referring to youngsters who drink alcohol without having become addicted. This is social alcohol abuse,” said the researchers.