Heavy drinking may 'increase skin cancer risk by more
than half'
London: A new study has revealed that heavy drinking can
increase the risk of developing the deadliest form of skin cancer by more than
half.
Researchers have found that downing three or four drinks a
day causes biological changes which make the body more sensitive to sun,
Metro.co.uk reported.
The study has revealed that even as little as one drink a
day can raise the chance of getting melanoma by 20 per cent, while for heavy
drinkers the risk increases by 55 per cent.
Researcher Dr Eva Negri said that the mix of UV rays and
alcohol damages the body's immune responses, which can lead to far greater
cellular damage and subsequently cause skin cancer s to form.
The researchers admit they do not know exactly how drinking
increases the cancer risk, but have found that alcohol is turns acetaldehyde
soon after it is consumed and makes the skin more sensitive to sunlight.
The study, which is based on a review of 16 other studies
and 6,251 cases of melanoma, has been published in the British Journal of
Dermatology.
30.01.2014
Genes to
decide what diet suits you best
Washington:
Soon, genetic testing may identify what diet you should consume for a longer,
healthier life.
Researchers
have identified a group of genes that allow an organism to adapt to different
diets and show that without them, even minor tweaks to diet can cause premature
aging and death.
"The
studies have revealed that single gene mutations can alter the ability of an
organism to utilise a specific diet. This could explain why certain diets work
for some but not others,” explained Sean Curran, assistant professor at
University of Southern California (USC).
In
the age of commercial gene sequencing, people might be able to identify which
diet would work best for them through a simple blood test, added Shanshan Pang
from USC.
They
studied caenorhabditis elegans - a one-milimetre-long worm that scientists have
used as a model organism for years.
Curran
and Pang identified a gene called 'alh-6' which delayed the effects of aging
depending on what type of diet the worm was fed by protecting it against
diet-induced mitochondrial defects.
"What
we have learned in the worm could translate to a better understanding of the
factors that alter diet success in humans,” Curran said in the study appeared
in the journal Cell Metabolism.
Finding
a genetic basis for an organism's dietary needs suggests that different
individuals may be genetically predisposed to thrive on different diets.
This
could be the start of personalised dieting based on an individual's genetic
makeup, Curran stressed.
30.01.2014
The most effective way to do it is to do it
Amelia
Earhart
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