Drinking, you may become older than you are

Wonder why people who drink too much look too old for their age? A new study shows that alcohol consumption speeds up the ageing process and raises the risk of cancer.

Italian researchers have found that drinking damages part of the cells that are linked to premature ageing and cancer.

They discovered that it causes stress and inflammation to telomeres– the ends of DNA strands that stop them unravelling much like the ends of shoelaces.

As people age, telomere length shortens progressively and eventually they are so damaged the cell dies. The study found alcohol accelerates this process.

Since telomere shortening is thought to also increase cancer risk, the researchers speculated that those with shorter telomeres due to heavy alcohol consumption would have an increased risk of cancer.

Andrea Baccarelli, the lead researcher at the University of Milan in Italy, reportedly said, "Heavy alcohol users tend to look haggard, and it is commonly thought heavy drinking leads to premature ageing and earlier onset of diseases of ageing."

The researchers looked at more than 250 volunteers some of whom drank more than four alcoholic drinks per day.

They were similar in age and other factors that might affect telomere length, such as diet, physical exercise, work-related stress and environmental exposures.

Results showed that telomere length was dramatically shortened in those who consumed heavy amounts of alcohol. In some telomere length was nearly half as long as telomere length in the non-abusers.

Twin killers: Alcohol and cancer

Nearly 50% of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx are associated with heavy drinking. Chronic heavy drinkers have a higher incidence of oesophageal cancer than does the general population. The risk appears to increase as alcohol consumption increases.

Prolonged, heavy drinking has been associated in many cases with primary liver cancer. However, it is liver cirrhosis, whether caused by alcohol or another factor, that is thought to induce the cancer. In areas of Africa and Asia, liver cancer afflicts 50 or more people per 100,000 per year, usually associated with cirrhosis caused by hepatitis viruses.

Chronic alcohol consumption has been associated with a small (averaging 10 per cent) increase in a woman's risk of breast cancer. Recent studies suggest that alcohol may play an indirect role in the development of breast cancer. These studies indicate that alcohol increases oestrogen levels in premenopausal women, which, in turn, may promote breast cancer.