• 5/26/2008
  • Aberdeen, Scotland
  • staff
  • The Press Association (ukpress.google.com)

Scientists have discovered a link between mouth cancer and the genes which break down alcohol, it was revealed.

A major international study found people’s risk of developing oral cancer was related to genes which regulate how fast or slowly alcohol was metabolised by the body.

Researchers at the University of Aberdeen spent five years studying hundreds of patients with cancers of the mouth, larynx and oesophagus at centres throughout Europe and Central and South America.

They also studied patients who were free of the disease.

The study focused on two genes involved in metabolising alcohol – a substance which is already known to be a risk factor for oral cancer.

The academics found those with a variant in the genes appeared to be less susceptible to the cancers because alcohol was broken down more quickly.

Dr Tatiana Macfarlane, senior lecturer at the University of Aberdeen’s department of general practice and primary care, said: “The study showed that your risk of getting oral cancers is linked to genetics as well as lifestyle.

“We found that, in particular, the risk depends on how fast your body metabolises alcohol.

“The results suggest that the faster you metabolise it, the lower your risk.

“These results provided the strongest evidence yet that alcohol consumption is strongly linked to oral cancers. The risk is particularly high if you also smoke or rarely eat fruit and vegetables.”