ALCOHOL AND ALDEHYDE DEHYDROGENASE GENOTYPES AND DRINKING BEHAVIOR INJAPANESE

The effects of the genotype of alcohol dehydrogenase-2 (ADH2) and mito chondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) on drinking behavior were inv estigated in a population of 451 Japanese. Although the ALDH22 allele had a significant inhibitory effect on alcohol consumption, hence on drinking problems, the apparent association was not confirmed between ADH2 genotype and overall drinking patterns for either males or female s. However, the frequency of the ADH22 allele was significantly lower in male Japanese classified as alcoholic on the basis of the Kurihama Alcoholism Screening Test than in nonalcoholic males. These results c orroborate a previous study that revealed a significantly lower ADH22 allele frequency in hospitalized Japanese alcoholics than in the gene ral population. Together, these studies suggest that the ALDH22 allel e has an inhibitory effect on drinking behavior, irrespective of the l evel of alcohol consumption, whereas the effect of the ADH2 polymorphi sm only becomes apparent in individuals with higher alcohol consumptio n, such as alcoholics.