Research by Penn State University in the U.S. into genes with links to alcohol use has shown that how much you drink could be significantly influenced by your DNA.
When the study’s 3.4 million participants were asked how much they drank, the 10 per cent of people from a white European background with the highest genetic score linked to drinking put away more than seven drinks a week on average.
[Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, of the University of Liverpool] explains: ‘Using the UK Biobank [a bank containing the genetic information of half a million people], we identified that people who drank more heavily tended to have particular variants in their genes — ADH1B being the most common.
‘Indeed, 50 per cent of the variance for Alcohol Use Disorder is explained by genetic factors. If you carry these variants — some people may carry one or two, some all six variants — it increases your risk of drinking more heavily.’
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‘No gene by itself is necessary or sufficient to lead to alcohol dependency,’ he says. ‘Other factors in your lifestyle also play a part, such as family, life experience, social groups and even access to alcohol.’
