e!Science News - Scientists find gene linked to alcoholism
Researchers gave college-age adults and their siblings a concoction that was the equivalent to 3 servings of alcohol. They subsequently did genetic testing on the same subjects to try to narrow down a difference in genes that related to one specific trait: the feeling of drunkenness. One gene "neighborhood" was found as potential difference: a gene (CYP2E1) that encodes an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol not in the liver but in the brain. The hypothesis is that the enzyme this gene encodes creates free radicals in the brain and affect its functioning as a response to alcohol. Thus a higher sensitivity to alcohol compared to those without the gene. No matter how the mechanism works, the current picture is that individuals with this gene are more sensitive to smaller quantities of alcohol and are thus probably less likely to develop health problems associated with heavy drinking.
No comments:
Post a Comment