Alcohol has been known to be a
cause of cancer in the neck and head.
The relationship of alcohol and cancer became more prominent after the
study of Faconi anemia. Faconi anemia is
a disease affecting 1 in 350,000 babies and is characterized by the inability to repair tangles of DNA known as “crosslinks.” Cancer caused by Facoin
anemia and alcohol-caused cancer, share the same mechanism of partially
metabolized alcohol. When alcohol is
metabolized, it is converted into acetyl aldehyde before being converted to aldehyde
dehydrogenase. Acetyl aldehyde is a
carcinogen and produces DNA cross links.
Though acetyl aldehyde is converted into aldehyde dehydrogenase, it
still affects the body. Because red wine
is an alcohol, it has the potential to cause cancer.
While red wine has the potential to
cause cancer, it is reported to have the fewest incidences of alcohol-caused
cancer. According to Robert Sclafani
(PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center), red wine is
able to block the cancer-causing effect of alcohol. The reason red wine is able to block the
effects is due to resveratrol, which is found in grape skins and eliminates
cells with DNA damage. In short alcohol
can damage cells, giving them the potential to become cancerous, and resveratrol
removes damaged cells. However, if an individual
was to still drink in excess it will still cause cancer.
I think the most interesting part
of this article, is not the irony of red wine, but the potential of
resveratrol. It not only can help with
killing potential cancer cells, it also has the ability to prevent damage to
blood vessels, reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and prevents blood
clots. I think it will be very
interesting to see what medical professionals and scientist create with
resveratrol and how it will help with cancer in the future.
