Several previous studies have found that a particular group of chromosomes makes people more likely to develop lung cancer or become alcoholics. Earlier studies have also found that people with a low response to alcohol are at an increased risk of becoming alcoholics and that both traits are inheritable.
So researchers tested 367 siblings to see if this group of chromosomes also impacted the body's level of response to alcohol. While they were unable to isolate it to a single gene, they found a strong association between genetic mutations in this chromosome group and how many drinks it took for the subjects to begin to sway from the affects of alcohol.
The findings also give "strong support" to the potential use of alcohol response levels to determine whether someone has a genetic susceptibility to alcoholism and "will prove valuable in the identification of other genetic loci conferring susceptibility to alcohol use disorders," wrote lead author Geoff Joslyn of the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Centre.
The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
References:http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,24773110-5003402,00.html
Jing Yang
40741680
