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Do Genes Protect Jewish People From Alcohol Problems?

(A person’s deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is his/her personal blueprint, a complex database of chemical information that ensures the production of proteins that a cell needs to survive. The body has trillions of cells, each of which has 46 chromosomes, each of which is made up of 50 to 250 million bases. The DNA in each chromosome contains thousands of genes. Genes usually code for a particular protein, such as an enzyme. A single gene can also have multiple alternative forms called alleles. Humans, and most animals, have two alleles for any given gene.)

The enzyme mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is crucial for the metabolism or oxidation of acetaldehyde that is generated during alcohol consumption. Acetaldehyde is far more toxic than alcohol itself. People with genetic mutations of this enzyme tend to experience a very unpleasant flushing and nausea when they drink. This means the mutation may actually reduce a person’s risk of developing alcohol dependence. Jews have fewer alcohol-related problems compared with other Caucasian groups. It is unclear whether cultural, religious, or biological factors are responsible. This study examined the effects of two variants of ALDH2 alleles (*A and *G) on reactions to alcohol among Jewish individuals.

ALDH2 genotyping was performed on 53 Jewish college students (29 women, 24 men) from a Midwestern university and 76 Jewish individuals (40 women, 36 men) from a large Midwestern city, all of Ashkenazi or Eastern European descent. Researchers examined associations between ALDH2*A and ALDH2*G alleles and self-reported alcohol consumption and responses to alcohol.

The study discovered that Jewish persons with the ALDH2*A allele drank fewer drinks per occasion, and reported feeling drowsy after a smaller number of drinks, but interestingly did not drink significantly less frequently than individuals without the ALDH2*A allele. The study does suggest that ALDH*2 status correlates with variations in alcohol drinking among Jewish populations.

(Fischer, M, Flury Wetherill, L, Carr, LG, You, M, Crabb, DW: Association of the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 promoter polymorphism with alcohol consumption and reactions in an American Jewish population. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 31:1654-1659, 2007.)

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5. The Genetics of Alcoholism