High consumption of alcohol might cause premature aging and elevate the risk of cancer, claims a novel study conducted by researchers from Centre of Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology, Ca' Granda Hospital Foundation, University of Milan, Italy.
Excessive alcohol intake is linked to oxidative stress and inflammation which expedites the shortening of telomere, a part of the DNA sequence at the end of the chromosomes, vital for the genetic stability of cells.
The length of our chromosomes shortens progressively with increase in age, notably at the telomere region which is important for normal cell division. Thereby, every time a cell divides, they shorten, until they get too old to divide.
People with shorter telomeres are more prone to premature aging and cancer development, suggest researchers.
