According to Professor Ketan Patel and researchers from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Science, Cambridge University, and published in ‘Nature’ just days after New Year’s eve, drinking alcohol in excess can cause damage to your DNA.
Mice were fed ethanol to observe what happened. Apparently alcohol breakdown produces highly toxic acetaldehyde in our bodies. We do have a protective enzyme ALDH2 which breaks the acetaldehyde down, and a second enzyme that repairs DNA damage. But these protective systems can stop working leading to irreversible damage and cancers like mouth, throat, voice box, oesophageal, larynx and those of colorectal, breast and liver.