Enzyme needed to degrade acetaldehyde
By Nathan Seppa
When a person drinks alcohol, two different enzymes in the liver break it down, first into acetaldehyde and then into acetate. People with a shortage of the second enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH-2)—which is normally detected in blood and saliva—can’t break down acetaldehyde efficiently. This compound accumulates in their saliva, European researchers report in the June Alcoholism: Clinical And Experimental Research.
Excess acetaldehyde in the mouth may explain why alcoholics lacking ALDH-2 have such high rates of cancer of the mouth, throat, and stomach, says study coauthor Mikko Salaspuro of Helsinki University Central Hospital.