Impact of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana on genome-wide DNA methylation and its relationship with hypertension.

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May 22, 2023  │ Natàlia Carreras-Gallo, Varun B. Dwaraka, Ryan Smith, Tavis Mendez, Hannah Went

Abstract or Summary

The consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana is very high worldwide and is associated with common diseases, like cardiovascular and neurological disorders.

This study found that tobacco and alcohol have large effects on genome wide DNA methylation while marijuana consumption has nonsignificant effects.

The genes differentially methylated were enriched in pathways related to neurodevelopment, suggesting the mediation between recreational drug consumption and neurological disorders.

More remarkably, 66 alcohol related CpG sites significantly mediated the association between heavy drinking and hypertension.

Our findings suggest that DNA methylation changes should be considered for new targets in disease prevention for recreational drug consumers.