Signs of DNA damage are showing through alcohol consumption. An experiment called the comet test was conducted to see whether the participants’ DNA was also affected by alcohol consumption. This involved taking out the nucleus of lymphocytic cells in the blood; and putting it through electrophoresis to come up with a result. Researchers explain that if the cells are faulty the DNA is damaged, it causes a “halo” in the electrophoresis, called the “the comet tail.”

The experiment revealed that the group who consumed alcohol showed significantly bigger comet tails in the electrophoresis, compared with the group that did not drink alcohol. In details, 8% of cells were damaged in the control group, but 44% were damaged in the drinking group. This means the drinking group had 5.3 times more damage to their cells. It’s not a surprise to many the long term effects that alcohol can have on one’s health, but the fact of it actually damaging our DNA is a whole new scare factor in itself. If you are someone who has an alcohol dependency seek treatment, look at www.seabrook.org and see what services we can provide for you today!