Do you have healthy DNA?  Do you look after your DNA?  Can drinking alcohol damage your DNA?  Don’t damage your DNA, because your health depends on your DNA!

DNA does not only contain the building blocks of our genetic makeup, but it also contains the blueprint for the rejuvenation of genes and proteins.  The body is continually growing and development, and the process of renewing our genes is the process which governs the growth of new and replacement cells in the body.

Damage to DNA can cause cancer

If you damage your DNA, this can disturb the production of new genes, upset the genetic code, and create abnormalities in the growth of new cells.

This may seem like a complicated scientific explanation, but put simply – cell abnormalities raise the risk of cancer.  If you damage your DNA, you put yourself at risk of developing cancer.

Is there a risk of inheriting damaged DNA?

No matter what risk you think has been passed to you in your DNA, by far the majority of your DNA is perfect.  Even if your father passed you a risk of heart disease, or your Grandmother had diabetes, you are not necessarily destined to have the same problem.

You can reduce the risk of inherited problems

Most damage to our DNA is caused by our own lifestyle choices.  If your father suffered from heart disease, there is proven medical evidence that you can cut your own risk by half, if you avoid smoking, drinking and obesity.  Most people assume that if their mother suffered from high blood pressure, then they are destined to suffer also, but this is no longer the case.

Even if you have inherited damaged DNA, you can drastically reduce your own risk of developing an inherited condition.

The opposite is also true – can drinking alcohol damage DNA?

Unfortunately, those people who have inherited healthy DNA can be responsible for damaging their own DNA, and drastically increasing the risk of health problems.  Even with healthy genes, if you make poor lifestyle choices, you can introduce flaws into the healthy DNA that result in a higher genetic risk over and above those risks that you may have inherited from your parents.  Yes, alcohol can damage DNA.

The research is clear – your DNA is yours to look after

The biggest finding from the latest scientific study in the New England Journal of Medicine is that your DNA does not create your destiny, and that lifestyles choices are the primary determinant of your future health.  Healthy lifestyle choices can offer a huge protection against problems such as pancreatic cancer and heart disease, even if you think your genes have stacked the odds against you.

It should come as no surprise that poor lifestyle choices can have a negative influence on your health and likelihood of contracting serious illnesses.  It has previously been shown that people with lifestyle induced health issues can turn the issues around with improved lifestyle choices, and avoid damage to DNA by drinking too much alcohol.

Now it has been shown that people with poor genetic factors can also improve their future health outlook by adopting healthy lifestyle choices.

Worryingly, it has been proven that poor lifestyle choices can cause damage to the DNA in the body to such an extent that the risk of developing health issues can actually be higher than the risks of inheriting flawed DNA.

Scientific Evidence – can drinking alcohol damage DNA?

Make no mistake, this was a scientific study involving over 50 genes in the body, and the study discovered a link between lifestyle choices and serious health complaints that can shorten our lifespan.

The biggest factor in health outcomes was not caused by DNA – it was lifestyle.

Simple Lifestyle choices, such as alcohol have a big impact

The lifestyle choices that we can control are the simple choices such as drinking alcohol, smoking, and diet and exercise.  That is all.  Even after consideration of 50 different genetic factors, including combinations of those genes, it is lifestyle choices that make the biggest different.  If you want to know more about controlling your lifestyle choices, please read our blog, here at love being alcohol free.

And don’t let alcohol damage DNA – your future depends on it!