What Can Damage DNA?

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the genetic material that exists in nearly all the cells in your body. It contains the genetic "instructions" for your cells. When DNA damage occurs, this can have a negative effect on your health. DNA damage that's not properly repaired can lead to apoptosis, or programmed cell death; genomic instability, or an increased tendency for your genes to mutate; and other problems. Both of these can lead to cancer. A number of environmental factors can damage your DNA.

Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation

• One environmental element that can damage your DNA is exposure to ultraviolent radiation. When your DNA absorbs UV-B rays, this can break bonds within your DNA. Although the proteins within the nucleus of the cell repair most of this DNA damage, the unrepaired damage can lead to skin cancer. To protect yourself from this DNA damage, it's important that you wear sunscreen whenever you're out in the sun.

Micronutrient Deficiencies

• Another cause of DNA damage is a nutritional deficiency. If you lack enough folic acid, iron, zinc, or vitamins B6 or B12, vitamin C or vitamin E, this nutritional deficiency can mimic the effects of radiation and lead to DNA damage. Micronutrient deficiency may lead to a breakdown of the strands that make up DNA's double helix -- the two strands that run in opposite directions. To protect your DNA from damage, get enough of these nutrients in your daily diet. Take a multivitamin if you don't eat enough healthy foods.

Cigarette Smoke

• Both firsthand and secondhand smoke can damage your DNA. Because tobacco smoke contains at least 80 carcinogens, when these chemicals enter your body, they can damage DNA and change essential genes. This may cause your cells to multiply out of control and lead to a variety of cancers. Smoking is the main cause of cancer worldwide, and numerous research studies have suggested that cigarette smoke can cause G to T mutations, meaning that a DNA molecule that was formerly a G has mutated to become a T.

Nanoparticles

• An emerging area of research looks at nanoparticles and how they damage DNA. A nanoparticle is a microscopic particle that has one or more dimensions that is less than 100 nanometers; one nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter. When nanoparticles, which are found in common electronics and cosmetics, find their way into your cells, they can break single- and double-stranded DNA. This DNA damage can lead to mutations and ultimately put you at risk for cancer. Researchers don't understand how nanoparticles function and how that relates to DNA damage, but they do know that nanoparticles can enter your cells and potentially cause a cascade of events that lead to DNA damage.