This risk is considered hereditary and may be passed down Sober living house to you if you have a family history of AUD. Your genetic risk refers to the likelihood that specific genes or genetic variants passed down to you will lead to a particular condition. A review of studies from 2020, which looked at a genome-wide analysis of more than 435,000 people, found 29 different genetic variants that increased the risk of problematic drinking. Many of the warnings from the media and attorneys general are focused on genetic information because it is unique to only one person. But direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies also retain a massive amount of personal information from the surveys consumers are asked to complete.
- Alcoholism has a substantial impact on both mental and physical health and can present different features among affected individuals.
- Customers initially consented to data use for research, but the possibility of data being sold or transferred during bankruptcy has led to warnings from state attorneys general.
- When alcohol breaks down, its first byproduct is acetaldehyde, a chemical that is itself classified as a carcinogen.
How Alcohol Affects Your Blood Pressure and Heart, Explained
In comparison, alcohol-related vehicle crashes cause around 13,500 deaths each year in the U.S. Pranoti Mandrekar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. This work was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health and previously was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Additional funding from the Netherlands Scientific Organization, the Dutch Brain Foundation and the VU University Amsterdam. The authors also thank the 23and Me research participants and employees for making the study possible. Join 40,000+ People Who Receive Our Newsletter Get valuable resources on addiction, recovery, wellness, and our treatments delivered directly to your inbox.
Does Genetics Impact Alcohol Addiction Treatment?
Variants in the gene speed the conversion to acetaldehyde — a compound linked to unpleasant side effects from drinking — and that compound has a protective effect, making people less likely to drink heavily or become alcoholics. A current drug, disulfuram (Antabuse), works on the same metabolic processes as the gene variants identified in this study. Neuroscience offers a window into the brain’s workings, shedding light on why some individuals might be more prone to alcohol misuse. The genetics of alcohol use disorder isn’t just about the genes we inherit but also about how they interact with our brain’s structures and functions.
Stress
Data suggests that individuals hailing from families with an annual household income surpassing $75,000 face a higher susceptibility to becoming an alcoholic in comparison to their counterparts from economically modest backgrounds. It has a combination of biological, environmental, psychological, and social causes. It is no secret that the genes we inherit from our parents determine simple physical traits such as hair color and height.
My team is working to uncover some of the mechanisms behind how alcohol increases cancer risk, including damage to immune cells and the liver. In regions where alcohol is either prohibitively expensive or challenging to procure, there’s a noticeable reduction in alcohol problems and misuse. Intriguingly, in the United States, factors like family wealth play a pivotal role in substance use disorders. Hereditary predisposition to AUD is one of the risk factors identified by these results. These insights suggest that those with a genetic predisposition to alcoholism could benefit from early interventions and tailored treatments. Their studies have shown that genes like ADH1B and ALDH2 are crucial in alcohol metabolism, with specific variants more prevalent in the Asian population.
The Genetics of Alcohol Use Disorder
Feeling out of control in regard to drinking and feeling as though one drinks too much are indicators that there is a problem. Medically supervised detox programs and evidence-based rehabilitation programs are available that specialize in treating AUD. In the future, there may be genetic therapies that help people control how much alcohol they consume; for now, behavioral therapies have proven very effective at managing these chronic health conditions. Until we get there, research will continue focusing on identifying genetic variants and possible mechanisms behind risk. Polimanti explained that for certain illnesses like cardiovascular disease, the field of genetics is expected to transform treatments in the coming years. “We will keep doing gene discovery and use increasingly advanced technology to deliver this information and get is alcoholism genetic a deeper understanding of the role genetics play in human health,” Zhou said.
- It has a combination of biological, environmental, psychological, and social causes.
- Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a diagnosis once referred to as “alcoholism.” It’s a condition characterized by patterns of excessive alcohol misuse despite negative consequences and major distress in important areas of daily function.
- Oar Health offers medication FDA-approved for the treatment of alcohol problems.
- Alcohol, whether consumed regularly or only on special occasions, takes a toll on your body.
- Certainly, genetics are passed down through families, but family history also includes the environment in which one was raised.
- According to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 15.1 million people in the US suffer from alcohol use disorder (AUD).
