Alcohol Dehydrogenase & Breast Cancer

In the year 2011, 230,480 women are expected to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, according to estimates by the National Cancer Institute. While breast cancer risk is associated with a number of hereditary factors, it is also linked to lifestyle practices, such as exercise, smoking and alcohol consumption. In trying to better understand the relationship between alcohol use and breast cancer risk, researchers have begun to examine the possible role of the stomach enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase in breaking down potentially carcinogenic toxins.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase

Alcohol dehydrogenase is a digestive enzyme secreted in the mucosal lining of the stomach, and its chemical activities are the first part of metabolizing alcoholic beverages, such as wine and liquor. According to Dr. Harvey E. Finkel of the Boston University Medical Center, women's stomachs possess approximately 60 percent of the alcohol dehydrogenase of men's, contributing to the observed sex-based differences in alcohol tolerance. Alcohol dehydrogenase works by oxidizing ethanol and converting it into a substance that your body can metabolize and digest.

Breast Cancer

Second to skin carcinomas, cancers of the breast are the most common type of cancer affecting American women and, according to the National Cancer Institute, will claim the lives of an estimated 39,520 women in 2011. Several factors related to both genetic risk and lifestyle affect the probability of developing breast cancer, including family history, reproductive history, hormone replacement therapy, obesity, cardiovascular activity and alcohol use.

Breast Cancer and Alcohol

Drinking alcohol is associated with increased breast cancer risk, and according to the National Cancer Institute risk elevates with the amount of alcohol consumed. The American Cancer Society reports that women who consume two to five alcoholic beverages a day are one-and-a-half times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who consume no alcohol. Although alcohol consumption has been clearly linked to heightened breast cancer risk, the exact mechanisms for increased vulnerability remain unclear.

Breast Cancer and Alcohol Dehydrogenase

Alcohol dehydrogenase may play a role in the relationship between alcohol consumption and breast cancer. Specifically, as alcohol dehydrogenase works to break down the toxic ethanol in alcoholic beverages, the enzyme may serve as a protective factor against cancer development. A study published in June 2003 in "Cancer Research" found strong evidence indicating that the expression of a particular form of alcohol dehydrogenase significantly reduced the risk of invasive breast cancer. Similarly, a March 2007 study in "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research" investigated whether a certain strain of the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme might serve as a protective factor against breast cancer. However, while researchers observed a link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer, their study did not find evidence to suggest that the enzyme was associated with lower risk.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase & Breast Cancer