Different genes control alcohol intake and alcoholism

Thursday October 29th, 2009

By Jane Collingwood
Like a drink of alcohol? It may not mean you are on the way to becoming an alcoholic, scientists say.

Scientists have found that genes which influence the amount of alcohol people drink are not the same as those affecting risk of alcoholism.

The various genetic pathways affecting alcohol drinking behaviour were investigated by Dr Boris Tabakoff and his team at the University of Colorado, Denver, USA, using both rats and humans.

They discovered that drinking behaviour in rats is linked to the "pleasure and reward" pathways in the brain, and also to some of the same systems that control food intake.

In the journal BMC Biology, they write that the results emphasise the importance of looking at signalling pathways rather than single genes, and show "cross-species similarities" in predisposition to consume alcohol.

"Our results also suggest that different genetic factors predispose alcohol dependence versus the phenotype of alcohol consumption," they conclude.

Dr Tabakoff said: "We know that high levels of alcohol consumption can increase the risk of becoming alcohol dependent in those who have a genetic make-up that predisposes to dependence.

"This is a case of interaction between genes and environment. However, because different sets of genes seem to influence the level of alcohol consumption, as opposed to propensity for alcohol dependence, we are confronted with great variation in humans."

He adds that people with genes that predispose them to drink moderate amounts of alcohol may still have the genetic predisposition to lose control over their drinking behaviour, and perhaps become alcohol dependent.

On the other hand, those with a tendency to drink larger amounts of alcohol may not have the genes that predispose them to become alcoholic.

Tabakoff, B. et al. Genetical genomic determinants of alcohol consumption in rats and humans. BMC Biology, published online October 27, 2009.

Tags: Drug and Alcohol Abuse | Genetics | North America

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