Researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) have uncovered for the first time how excess alcohol can cause irreparable damage to our DNA. In a new study published in the journal Nature today, MRC scientists also discovered a two-tier defence system in our cells that limits the threat of permanent genetic damage. Scientists at the MRC's Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) have discovered that an overload of a toxic chemical called acetaldehyde, a by-product from the breakdown of alcohol in our body, can cause damage to DNA. They showed that our cells have two natural ways of protecting us against acetaldehyde. Firstly, this toxin can be removed by specialised enzymes. If this step fails, acetaldehyde builds up and damages DNA, but a second mechanism kicks in to repair the damaged DNA, using another set of enzymes known as the Fanconi proteins
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