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Alcohol Can Cause Irreversible Genetic Damage To Stem Cells, Says Study (theguardian.com)
A new study, published on Wednesday, states that drinking alcohol produces a harmful chemical in the body which can lead to permanent genetic damage in the DNA of stem cells, increasing the risk of cancer developing. From a report: The research, using genetically modified mice, provides the most compelling evidence to date that alcohol causes cancer by scrambling the DNA in cells, eventually leading to deadly mutations. During the past decade, there has been mounting evidence of the link between drinking and the risk of certain cancers. "How exactly alcohol causes damage to us is controversial," said Prof Ketan Patel, who led the work at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. "This paper provides very strong evidence that an alcohol metabolite causes DNA damage [including] to the all-important stem cells that go on to make tissues." The study builds on previous work that had pinpointed a breakdown product of alcohol, called acetaldehyde, as a toxin that can damage the DNA within cells. However, these earlier studies had relied on extremely high concentrations of acetaldehyde and used cells in a dish rather than tracking its effects within the body.
Hi,
I'm in my mid thirties, rather accomplished, with a very good job (tech) that I like, family with 2 kids etc. I drink way too much however and I fear I'm already borderline alcoholic. I've recently found this 'high functioning alcoholism' term and realized this is me. Which scares me a lot. I do know people that drink a lot in my family (I'm from eastern Europe...) and until recently I've never considered myself similar to them. For the record, I'm drinking on average 5 evenings per week, between half and a full bottle of wine (which is not that much, certainly I got used to it, so it doesn't put me in the drunk mode neither).
I keep an 'inner scorecard' which means I evaluate myself against what I used to be, and what I think I can accomplish (did I perform / accomplish something up to my potential, or did I just did a half-ass effort). Funnily enough, I always somehow discarded alcohol as a factor, justifying it (to myself) that it's not that influencing. Which is of course false. I should add that I work in the evenings very often (I love what I do btw) and most of those time, I drink too when working.
What made me realize this problem much more efficiently was running. I started quite recently and did some tests - how I perform, with the same training scheme, with and without alcohol for a period of time. Numbers don't lie. I run much better and also feel better.
As to why I'm drinking when I'm working alone, I don't really know (other than I like the taste). Not necessarily to forget problems or something. With perspective, this amounts to huge chunks of time, which certainly impacts my work on side projects / business. Sometimes I think I drink because I'm scared to actually succeed with this side stuff, and somehow unconsciously I sabotage myself.
Are / were you in this situation ? If you managed to stop, I would appreciate the 'how'.
There's a pretty huge gap between
"Alcohol Can Cause Irreversible Genetic Damage To Stem Cells, Says Study"
and
"However, these earlier studies had relied on extremely high concentrations of acetaldehyde and used cells in a dish rather than tracking its effects within the body."
Thanks but we already knew that alcoholic have an higher risk of cancer : https://www.elementsbehavioral...
But I guess I should be thankful that, for once, the real signifiant fact is inside the summary...
Elok
Now that the alcohol is proven haram (harmful and unclean according to the goatfucker in chief), we are waiting for studies to "scientifically" prove that eating pig causes cancer and not wearing hijab causes cancer as well (and rape).
So forbidding alcohol, pig meat and not wearing hijabs is not to appease the bloody moslems, but because this is "scientifically proven" that they cause harm,
It's really nothing that the fucking globalists and their subservient liberal cuckers that won't spoil to push their stinky agenda ???
The Ballmer peak is narrow but exists.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
A "party foul" at the lab is unacceptable, JOHN! ;)
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
Wasn't Acetaldehyde shown to form in the saliva of Alcohol drinkers over a decade ago?
I expect to hear from the usual mixture of deniers and and 'I told you so' folks now. Oh how tedious...
So, let's wait until further studies are performed across the World and when they agree or disagree with this finding, we can make a decision then? A vain hope I know....
Stuart http://stuarthalliday.com/
both of my grandparents were very heavy drinkers and lived to be over 95.
Last night my wife and I helped an old lady up. She had literally fallen and couldn't get up. My nose soon detected that her problem wasn't that she was old, but that she was drunk as a skunk.
This morning we found out that this is normal for her and she's been a lifetime alcoholic. So you could argue that she won the alcoholics lottery. She's well over 80 and she got to spend here life drinking. Most of us would die of cancer or liver failure before we got to the retirement community.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
So moderate alcohol use (supposedly) helps prevent heart disease but also (supposedly) increases your odds of cancer.
On one hand, repairing or replacing hearts, possibly from cloned stem cells, is theoretically easier than curing cancer and repairing damaged stem cells.
On the other hand, a heart attack is a lot more likely to catch you by surprise before you realize you need to have your heart repaired or replaced. Also, your stem cells are going to get damaged sooner or later anyways, alcohol just speeds up the process. So sooner or later we'll have to figure out how to repair or replace stem cells anyways.
Of course that's all taking the long view. In the short(er) view, none of us are getting out of this alive. So drink up i guess?
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
You're drinking alone while you work probably because it helps numb your mental fatigue and/or your muscular pain from hunching over a computer.
Here's how to stop drinking: Every time you crave some alcohol, evaluate yourself for why you are craving it; if you notice that your neck/shoulders are killing you, or that you're actually kind of tired, then take a damn break! Do some exercises, or stretching, or take a nap, or get a snack. Eventually, you'll retrain the AI in your head to associate those alternatives (rather than alcohol) with an improvement in your sense of comfort.
Hey, drinking was once useful to you; it's not anymore. That's all there is to it; you are in control.
Which eye? The eye has evolved about 10 times (that I've heard of) and there's no particular problem about explaining any one of them. The problem, actually, is explaining why it evolved so slowly. It's as if it was not nearly as advantageous as we assume.
I refer you to "Climbing Mount Improbable" by Richard Dawkins, specifically the chapter "The fortyfold path to enlightenment".
And being cold outside (as well as excessive hot spells) is to be expected in the mid-latitudes during global warming because that causes the jet stream to slow down due to the decrease in temperature difference between the poles and the equator, which leads to the jet stream slowing and occasionally stalling so that an short extreme weather event turns into a longer one.
Why don't you pick a real problem? They *do* exist, but those are just popular because they're easy to spout, not because they're difficult to explain.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
I like to share my story with fellow techies.I was a heavy drinker. I started drinking when I was in 16 or 17, but never abused much until I was 40 or 41. Then I started drinking heavily , 1-2 bottles of Brandy or Whiskey a week and been and wine occasionally. I knew I had a problem, but I was't an alcoholic to anyone . I had a few minor accidents. Finally I started thinking about why I need to drink. The underlying problem was an unhappy relationship. That ended almost 2 years back after 16 years. I given up drinking and smoking almost the same time. This may not be popular here, but I turned into spiritual help and it worked wonders in my life. I don't have any temptations anymore. I am with smokers and go to bar with friends, but enjoy a pepsi or water with them. I don't take a moral position on who can drink responsibility, but I think there are people who shouldn't be drinking. And never user alcohol to resolve solve and actual problem like relationship or join pain.
I exercise regularly and eat right. My triglycerides is with in the range and sleep changed. At 45 I feel like 22. I lost a lot of friends when I stopped drinking, but they were probably not friends to begin with. I am in a new relationship and hopefully everything is behind me. I know some of the stories are very true . Good luck and never give up.
From TFS:
Those who turn red in the face after drinking (Asians often have a genetic issue that causes this, btw) should pay particular attention to this symptom; the reason for the red face is an acetaldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, which results in an accumulation of acetaldehyde, which in turn has been associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer.
cite
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
Indeed. When I stumble across an exceptionally hard problem that's baffling me, I'll have a drink or three to lubricate my brain before tackling it again. I almost always solve it (though often in a substandard way), but I can review my code later when I'm sober to understand how I got to the solution and improve upon it.
It's the exact same for cannabis as well, and the two often work in tandem as long as I don't go overboard. I've had many managers comment on how much more work I get done after my lunch break, which I typically toke during :)
As we all know and as has been Proven by no less than the Great Dr. Johnny Fever, drinking makes your reflexes faster
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
...I need a drink!!
Sugar: The Bitter Truth — 2009, 7.5 million views
The Hacking of the American Mind with Dr. Robert Lustig — 2017
John Yudkin: the man who tried to warn us about sugar — 2014
Many serious people now believe that excess fructose (which is metabolized in the liver through much the same pathway as ethanol) is the largest single causal component to the metabolic syndrome epidemic, which is itself one of the largest single causes of runaway healthcare costs in the United States.
Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss — 2013
How the Food Makers Captured Our Brains — 2009
Sugar is the tongs and the hammer.
As Lustig once said (from memory): given the choice between sugar and alcohol, I'll take alcohol, because you can only drink yourself under the table once a day.
While what you say is true after a fashion consider: modern medicine has developed a near-miraculous capacity for keeping you going for years, even decades after you get sick. What it hasn't accomplished is make going those bonus years of ill-health fun.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Actually, I think the title of this post explains it all - there's a few thousand miles of difference between "can cause" and "will cause."
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
The immediate questions that come to mind are how much alcohol, and how long?
I mean, is this a beer or one mixed drink, a shot or so, a day, or are we talking alcoholics who need alcohol all the time, or the binge drinkers, who are doing it most weekend?
I remember the Studies Proving The Killer Weed Causes Cancer. Um, yupper, they were using mice, and if you smoked that much, you'd be asleep 20 or more hours a day, and either smoking or eating the rest of your waking hours, *and* you'd need really, really potent weed.
I expect this to be the same. And are they also worried about elephants, who have been documented going out of their way to drink rotted, fermented fruits? Or monkeys doing the same? Or that maybe we've been drinking since we were proto-human?
Or maybe The Monolith started dispensing booze.....