Wednesday, October 15, 2014

EPIGENETIC CHANGES CAUSED BY BINGE DRINKING LEAD TO INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN LIVER


Research from the University of Missouri school of Medicine found that epigenetic protein changes can lead to treatments for alcohol-related liver diseases when caused by binge drinking. High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cancer and digestive problems are also caused from binge drinking: five or more drinks for a man and four or more drinks for a woman in a two-hour period according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This statistic shows how prevalent binge drinking is in the U.S. today. 


Shivendra Shukla explained that binge drinking causes epigenetic modifications in histone structures in the liver. Epigenetic modifications are the changes in genes that are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence or genetic code. Shukla further found that binge drinking will cause unnatural changes in histones, which are proteins that organize the DNA strands that surround them and they help the DNA function correctly. The changes in histones affect how the genetic code of an individual is interpreted and regulated. Shukla continued by saying how the negative affect binge drinking has on histones will initially cause inflammation and damage cells as they form, and cause cirrhosis and cancer. Shukla stressed that binge drinking does not only affect the liver and should not only be associated with the liver since the liver can send out damaging signals to other systems in the body. 


Binge drinking is an ever growing public health concern not only in the U.S., but globally. This problem is not going away and I believe that it is important to stress the many negative affects that result from alcohol abuse. Studies like the one Shuka performed can lead to future treatments for alcohol-liver damage; however, getting the word across that this is a very serious matter can help limit binge drinkers and alcohol abuse. 

Article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/283683.php

Related Article: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arcr343/293-305.htm

No comments:

Post a Comment