Alcohol is linked to a majority of mouth and throat cancers, but individuals with a particular gene variant may be protected from disease -- possibly because their bodies are more efficient at breaking down alcohol -- the BBC reported May 25.

Researchers found that individuals with two gene variants in a genetic cluster called ADH, which make chemicals that help metabolize alcohol, were less likely to develop mouth and throat cancer than those who lacked the genes. One of the gene variants allows individuals to break down alcohol 100 times faster than those without the gene.

The study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France was published in the journal Nature Genetics.