That excess alcohol is not good for our health is something that has long been scientifically proven.
In recent years, various scientific studies have shown that the old belief that a glass of wine at meals is beneficial to our health was wrong.
Many even argue that even a single drink has a negative impact on our health status.
And in addition, the effects of the consumption of alcoholic beverages are increasingly known.
Now, a group of scientists from the University of Rutgers (USA) together with researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of Yale University (USA), have discovered that the consumption of alcohol can even alter our DNA to make us want to take more.
The more consumption, the greater the desire
To reach this conclusion, the team focused its analysis on two genes involved in the control of behavior when we are under the influence of alcohol.
One is the PER2, which influences the biological clock of our body and another the POMC, which regulates our response mechanism to stress.
Comparing groups of moderate drinkers with people who drink heavily, scientists observed that these two genes had changed in people who consume large amounts of alcohol.
In those who drank compulsively and in greater quantity, their genes produced proteins at a lower speed and also developed a greater impulse and taste for drinking in times of stress.
The changes in the genes were greater the more drinks, developing a kind of vicious circle: the more alcohol consumed, the greater the damage in the genes, which in turn make us want to consume greater amounts of alcohol.
"We have discovered that people who drink a lot may be changing their DNA in a way that makes them want more alcohol," said Professor Dipak K. Sarkar, lead author of the study led by Rutgers University.
Researchers hope that their discovery will allow them to identify biomarkers, that is, measurable indicators such as proteins or modified genes to predict the risk that an individual has of being a heavy drinker and prevent them from consuming even greater intakes of alcoholic beverages.