IJC: Peking University + Oxford study of 510,000 Chinese found that drinking alcohol can directly cause cancer

Wine, the product of human civilization, has a long history of more than 5,000 years
.

Alcohol consumption is a major cause of death and disability worldwide, and alcohol abuse can induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, and even be closely related to certain cancers

According to a recent study published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in The Lancet Oncology, 740,000 new cancers will be associated with alcohol consumption in 2020, accounting for about 4% of all cancer cases worldwide
.

In China, 6% of new cancer cases are related to alcohol consumption

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) saw 740,000 new cancers associated with alcohol consumption in 2020, accounting for around 4% of all cancer cases worldwide

International Journal of Cancer International Journal of Cancer Alcohol metabolism genes and risks of site-specific cancers in Chinese adults: An 11-year prospective study Alcohol metabolism genes and risks of site-specific cancers in Chinese adults: An 11-year prospective study

The study, which analyzed 512,726 adults in China, found that alcohol directly causes a variety of cancers, and that these risks may be further increased in people with genetic low alcohol tolerance who are unable to metabolize alcohol normally
.

Men who did not drink alcohol had a 14% lower risk of cancer and a 31% lower risk of specific alcohol-related cancers, such as colon, esophagus and liver cancer

Men who did not drink alcohol had a 14% lower risk of cancer and a 31% lower risk of specific alcohol-related cancers, such as colon, esophagus and liver cancer

Two gene variants commonly found in East Asia (ALDH2 and ADH1B) reduce a person's tolerance to alcohol and reduce the body's ability to break down acetaldehyde, which can lead to a buildup in the blood of acetaldehyde, a form of acetaldehyde that is produced when the body metabolizes alcohol.
a toxic molecule
.

Most people with these genes drink less pleasantly than others and therefore drink little or no alcohol at all

Notably, ALDH2 mutations are associated with flushing after drinking and are prevalent in East Asian populations
.

In the study, the researchers analyzed the genetic data of 512,726 Chinese participants in the China CKB database, looked for ALDH2 and ADH1B alleles in the DNA of all participants, and collected the participants' drinking habits and nearly a dozen more through questionnaires.
Years of health records and blood samples for long-term preservation
.

During 11 years of follow-up, 9,339 participants developed cancer
.

Of all the participants, only 1 percent of men had one allele of the ALDH2 gene and drank regularly in the study, while 46 percent of men with a different allele had a corresponding reduction in cancer rates
.

The study found that men who did not drink alcohol had a 14 percent lower risk of cancer and a 31 percent lower risk of specific alcohol-related cancers, such as head and neck, esophagus and lung cancer
.

In addition, those with at least one low-alcohol-tolerance variant in the gene who still drank regularly had significantly higher rates of head and neck and esophageal cancers, implying that the inability to break down acetaldehyde may be directly associated with increased cancer risk
.

ALDH2 total and specific cancer risk at different levels of alcohol consumption

ALDH2Total cancer and specific cancer risk at different drinking levels ALDH2 Total cancer and specific cancer risk at different drinking levels

For women, only 2% reported regular drinking, so the analysis focused on men
.

But the study did find that low alcohol tolerance alleles were not associated with an increased risk of cancer in women, suggesting that the reduced risk of cancer in men with these gene variants stemmed directly from lower alcohol consumption

The results suggest that alcohol directly contributes to a variety of cancers, and that these risks may be further increased in people with hereditary low alcohol tolerance who are unable to metabolize alcohol normally, the researchers said

Earlier Cambridge University research showed that elevated levels of acetaldehyde cause direct loss of DNA, providing the study with a plausible carcinogenic mechanism, especially in people who cannot efficiently remove acetaldehyde

Taken together, through genetic data analysis, the study found that even moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer, and these risks may be further increased in people with hereditary low alcohol tolerance who are unable to metabolize alcohol normally

Original source:

Original source:

Pek Kei Im, Ling Yang, Christiana Kartsonaki, Yiping Chen, et al.

Alcohol genes and risks of site-specific metabolism cancers in Chinese adults: An 11-year prospective study Leave a comment here