ALDH2 and ADH1B interactions in retrospective reports of low-dose reactions and initial sensitivity to alcohol in Asian American college students.

Background: A mechanistic model has been proposed for how alcohol-metabolizing gene variants protect individuals from the development of alcohol use disorders, with heightened sensitivity to alcohol being an early step (endophenotype) in this model. This study was designed to determine whether possession of 2 alcohol-metabolizing genes variations, the aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH2*2 allele and the alcohol dehydrogenase ADH1B*2 allele, was associated with self-reported sensitivity to alcohol at low doses and at initial use.

Methods: Asian-American college students (N=784) of Chinese and Korean descent were genotyped at the ALDH2 and ADH1B loci and assessed for lifetime alcohol symptoms following 1 or 2 drinks and level of response to alcohol during the first 5 lifetime drinking episodes.

ALDH2*2 is associated with a decreased likelihood of alcohol-induced blackouts in Asian American college students.

Objective: A recent report found the heritability estimate for alcohol-induced blackouts was 53%. The present study was designed to determine whether possession of two specific genetic variations, an aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH2*2 allele and an alcohol dehydrogenase ADHIB*2 allele, were associated with lower rates of lifetime blackouts.

Method: Asian American college students (N=403) of Chinese and Korean descent were genotyped at the ALDH2 and ADHIB loci and assessed for lifetime alcohol-induced blackouts and the maximum number of drinks ever consumed in a 24-hour period.

Genetic associations of alcohol dehydrogenase with alcohol use disorders and endophenotypes in white college students.

Associations of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) gene polymorphisms (ADH1B*2 and ADH1C*1) with a lifetime alcohol use disorder (AUD) were examined in White college students. Alcohol-related endophenotypes likely to be influenced by elevations in acetaldehyde were also assessed. Individuals with an ADH1B*2 allele had lower rates of AUDs, consumed a lower maximum number of drinks in a 24-hr period, reported a greater level of response to alcohol, were more likely to have experienced alcohol-induced headaches following 1 or 2 drinks, and reported more severe hangovers than those lacking this allele.

Associations of ALDH2 and ADH1B genotypes with response to alcohol in Asian Americans.

Objective: Individuals with alcohol dependence are less likely to possess variant alleles of the alcohol-metabolizing genes, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2*2) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH1B*2), than non-alcohol-dependent controls. It is hypothesized that the mechanism through which these alleles protect against alcohol dependence is by causing elevations in acetaldehyde, which in turn cause an increased response to alcohol. Previous research has shown that individuals with ALDH2*2 demonstrate enhanced reactions to alcohol compared with those without this genetic variant, but evidence that ADH1B*2 is associated with a greater alcohol response is mixed.

ALDH2 status and conduct disorder mediate the relationship between ethnicity and alcohol dependence in Chinese, Korean, and White American college students.

This study examined aldehyde dehydrogense (ALDH2) gene status, alcohol dehydrogense (ADH2) gene status, conduct disorder, and alcohol dependence in Chinese, Korean, and White American college students. Chinese had a lower rate of alcohol dependence (5%) than Koreans (13%) and Whites (17%). Koreans had a higher rate of conduct disorder (15%) than Whites (9%) and Chinese (6%).

Binge drinking in Jewish and non-Jewish white college students.

Background: In the United States, religious commitment, as measured by service attendance, has an inverse relationship with alcohol consumption, heavy use, and problem use. This association, however, has not been found consistently in Jewish Americans. The present study examined the relationship between religious variables and binge drinking in Jewish and non-Jewish white college students.

Genetic risk for alcoholism relates to level of response to alcohol in Asian-American men and women.

Objective: Previous studies have shown that Asians who possess a variant aldehyde dehydrogenase allele (ALDH2*2) have lower rates of alcohol consumption and dependence. Research in Asian men has shown that those with ALDH2*2 have greater responses to alcohol than do those without this genetic variant. The present study was designed to determine whether similar levels of response to alcohol, using objective and subjective measurements, are seen in men and women with different ALDH2 genotypes.