Doctor reveals common post-booze symptom that could mean you’re at risk of lethal pancreatic cancer

Do you look red and flushed when you drink booze? Beware—this could be a sign you’re at risk of a range of cancers, including the lethal pancreatic type, a doctor has warned.

According to Dr Michael Mrozinski, an emergency medicine expert from Scotland, flushing after alcohol is a sign that a toxic chemical in the liquid called acetaldehyde has built up to potentially harmful levels in the body.   

The substance is, over time, ‘very toxic to the organs in your upper GI tract like your stomach, oesophagus or pancreas,’ he said in a recent Instagram clip.

This means that ‘if you flush when you drink you are at risk of types of cancer like stomach cancer, esophageal cancer and possibly pancreatic cancer’, Dr Mrozinski warned.

In the short term, high levels of acetaldehyde can also make you feel ‘like crap’.

‘You will flush. You will get a headache. You will feel nauseous you can get your heart racing all that stuff,’ he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Yiannis Mavrommatis, a genetics expert and registered dietitian, previously said: ‘Symptoms typically start shortly after alcohol consumption, with facial flushing and warmth, headaches and dizziness.

‘In more severe cases, this can escalate to nausea and vomiting, heart palpitations and difficulty with breathing.’

The ability for the body to dispose of acetaldehyde—and therefore prevent a flush—depends on the presence of specific genes, experts have previously found.

The alcohol flushing response is the result of a genetic variant considered to be one of the most common in the world, mainly carried by those of East Asian descent.

This is the variant in the gene that instructs the production of enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, which helps to breakdown the toxin.

This means the toxic byproduct of alcohol accumulates in ther body.

Acetaldehyde is known to cause permanent DNA damage, which can lead to cancer.

The DNA damage can cause cancer of the bowel, oesophagus, liver, breast, pharynx (throat), mouth, and larynx (throat), studies have shown.

An at-home DNA test can reveal if you are one of the estimated millions of people who are genetically adverse to booze.

The My Health Checks test, which costs £54, also tests for sensitivities and intolerances to other ingredients, like gluten and lactose. 

 

Livia Di Batista, 40, from London, admitted she made several lifestyle changes since discovering an intolerance to alcohol through DNA testing.

‘I haven’t stopped drinking altogether, but now I’m selective over when I drink, so that I drink significantly less alcohol overall.

‘I’m also choosing lower calorie options. This has helped reduce the inflammation I was experiencing, and I feel less fatigued,’ she said.

The most recent advice from Dr Mrozinski, who is now based in Australia, calls on people to consider their relationship with alcohol if they flush while drinking.

‘If you are at an increased risk of those types of cancer and you do flush then it is something you need to think about,’ he said.

Isabela Ramos, a nutritionist at MyHealthChecked, explained that spirits such as vodka, whiskey, and rum have higher alcohol concentrations, which can make symptoms worse.

‘Some wines and beers, particularly red wines and certain craft beers, contain higher levels of congeners, which are byproducts of fermentation that can worsen symptoms,’ she added.

But mixing drinks with non-alcoholic mixers like tonic water can also help reduce symptoms for those with a sensitivity.

Ms Ramos said: ‘Mixing alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic mixers, such as spritzers, can reduce the overall alcohol content and mitigate symptoms.

‘However, the safest option is to consume low or zero-alcohol-content beverages, minimising the amount of ethanol that needs to be metabolised.’