The Aldehyde Dehydrogenase ALDH2*2 Allele, Associated with Alcohol Drinking Behavior, Dates Back to Prehistoric Times

Human alcohol-consumption behavior is partly genetically encoded. The alcohol consumption of 987 residents in Keelung, Taiwan, was evaluated by using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). We assessed ~750,000 genomic variants of 71 residents who drank hazardously (AUDIT score ≥ 8) and 126 residents who did not drink in their daily lives (AUDIT score = 0), using high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays. The rs671 G > A manifests the highest significance of the association with drinking behavior (Fisher’s exact P = 8.75 × 10−9). It is a pleiotropic, non-synonymous variant in the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) gene. The minor allele “A”, commonly known as ALDH2*2, is associated with non-drinkers. Intriguingly, identity-by-descent haplotypes encompassing genomic regions with a median length of 1.6 (0.6–2.0) million nucleotide bases were found in all study participants with either heterozygous or homozygous ALDH2*2 (n = 81 and 13, respectively). We also analyzed a public-domain dataset with genome-wide genotypes of 2000 participants in Guangzhou, a coastal city in Southern China. Among them, 175 participants have homozygous ALDH2*2 genotype, and again, long ALDH2*2-carrying haplotypes were found in all 175 participants without exceptions. The median length of the ALDH2*2-carrying haplotype is 1.7 (0.5–2.8) million nucleotide bases. The haplotype lengths in the Keelung and Guangzhou cohorts combined indicate that the origin of the ALDH2*2 allele dates back to 7935 (7014–9381) years ago. In conclusion, the rs671 G > A is the leading genomic variant associated with the long-term drinking behavior among residents of Keelung, Taiwan. The ALDH2*2 allele has been in Asian populations since prehistoric times.

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Alcohol Use Disorder among Patients Suffered from Road Collisions in a Vietnamese Delta Province

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16132423 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (13) ◽

pp. 2423 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Hai Minh Vu ◽

Tung Thanh Tran ◽

Giang Thu Vu ◽

Cuong Tat Nguyen ◽

Chau Minh Nguyen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Problematic Drinking ◽

Current Context ◽

Educational Campaign ◽

Causes Of Deaths ◽

The Relationship

Traffic collisions have continuously been ranked amongst the top causes of deaths in Vietnam. In particular, drinking has been recognized as a major factor amplifying the likelihood of traffic collisions in various settings. This study aims to examine the relationship between alcohol use and traffic collisions in the current context of Vietnam. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 413 traffic collisions patients in six health facilities in the Thai Binh Province to investigate the level of alcohol consumption and identify factors influencing alcohol use among these patients. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) scale was used to determine the problematic drinking behavior of the participants. The percentage of patients having problematic drinking was more than 30%. Being male, having a high household income, and working as farmer/worker were risk factors for alcohol abuse. People causing accidents and patients with a traumatic brain injury had a higher likelihood of drinking alcohol before the accidents. This study highlights the necessity of more stringent laws on reducing drink-driving in Vietnam. In addition, more interventions, especially those utilizing mass media like educational campaign of good behavior on social networks, are necessary to reduce alcohol consumption in targeted populations in order to decrease the prevalence and burden of road injuries.

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Changes in Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Small Change in Total Consumption, but Increase in Proportion of Heavy Drinkers

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18084231 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (8) ◽

pp. 4231

Author(s):

Ingeborg Rossow ◽

Elin K. Bye ◽

Inger Synnøve Moan ◽

Carolin Kilian ◽

Jørgen G. Bramness

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Web Surveys ◽

Total Consumption ◽

Consumption Level ◽

Self Reports ◽

Heavy Drinkers ◽

Total Alcohol ◽

Small Change

Little is known about possible changes in alcohol consumption distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. We estimated how individual changes in alcohol consumption during the pandemic translated into changes in: (i) mean consumption; (ii) dispersion of consumption distribution; and (iii) prevalence of heavy drinkers. We employed data from two independent web-surveys of Norwegian adults collected between April and July 2020 and limited to those reporting past year alcohol consumption (N1 = 15,267, N2 = 1195). Self-reports of changes in drinking behavior were quantified, assuming change being relative to baseline consumption level. During the pandemic, we found a small increase (Survey 1) or no change (Survey 2) in estimated mean alcohol consumption (which parallels to total consumption). However, in both surveys, the dispersion of the distribution increased significantly (p < 0.001). For most respondents, an average modest decline in consumption was found. However, the small fraction with the highest baseline consumption increased their consumption substantially, and in effect, the proportion of heavy drinkers increased markedly (p < 0.001). In conclusion, quantifications of reported changes in alcohol consumption during the pandemic suggest that the upper 5 to 10% of the drinkers increased their consumption and hence the prevalence of heavy drinkers increased, despite little or no change in total alcohol consumption.

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Development of a prediction model and estimation of cumulative risk for upper aerodigestive tract cancer based on aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) genotype and alcohol consumption in a Japanese population

European Journal of Cancer ◽

10.1016/s0959-8049(16)61533-2 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 61 ◽

pp. S151

Author(s):

K. Matsuo ◽

Y. Koyanagi ◽

H. Ito

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Prediction Model ◽

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase ◽

Japanese Population ◽

Cumulative Risk ◽

Upper Aerodigestive Tract ◽

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 ◽

Tract Cancer ◽

Upper Aerodigestive Tract Cancer ◽

Aerodigestive Tract Cancer

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Private Self-consciousness, Self-reflection, Insight and Alcohol Consumption Among Young People and Adults

Psico-USF ◽

10.1590/1413-82712019240403 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 633-644

Author(s):

Cristyan Karla Nogueira Leal ◽

Gabriel Gonzaga Barbosa de Faria ◽

Mariane Lima DeSouza

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Young People ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Self Regulation ◽

The Self ◽

Age And Gender ◽

Self Reflection ◽

Risk Levels ◽

Age And Gender Differences ◽

And Gender

Abstract Private self-consciousness is a relevant metacognitive capacity in the self-regulation process, with possible implications in alcohol consumption. This research verified the influence of self-reflection and insight, dimensions of private self-consciousness, on drinking behavior. A total of 523 Brazilians, aged from 20 to 39 years old, participated in a survey by answering the Self-Reflection and Insight Scale and the AUDIT test. The results showed that women have higher levels of self-reflection, whereas men have higher levels of insight. With regard to alcohol consumption, young people drink at higher risk levels than adults. Self-reflection and insight were negatively correlated with alcohol consumption. Age and gender differences in the intensity of the correlation between variables and the influence of environmental factors on the regulation of drinking behavior are discussed.

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The Truth About Alcohol and Health

European Journal of Medical and Health Sciences ◽

10.24018/ejmed.2019.1.2.35 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

Author(s):

James McIntosh

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Health Service ◽

Service Utilization ◽

Health Service Utilization ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Health It ◽

Standard Drink ◽

Individual Health ◽

Reported Health

The paper discussed here claimed that the old guidelines for safe alcohol consumption should be replaced by much lower ones of about one standard drink per day. However the paper suffers from some statistical problems which lead to misleading results. In addition, by concentrating on mortality and older members of the population it fails to account for important aspects of the effect of alcohol use on individual health. It is shown when the effects of alcohol use on self-reported health and health service utilization are considered what has been traditionally been proposed as safe drinking behavior should continue to be used.

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Low Km aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) polymorphism, alcohol-drinking behavior, and chromosome alterations in peripheral lymphocytes.

Environmental Health Perspectives ◽

10.1289/ehp.96104s3563 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 104 (suppl 3) ◽

pp. 563-567 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

K Morimoto ◽

T Takeshita

Keyword(s):

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase ◽

Alcohol Drinking ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Peripheral Lymphocytes ◽

Chromosome Alterations

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A Multilevel Study of Alcohol Consumption in Young Adults: Self-Efficacy, Peers’ Motivations and Protective Strategies

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16162827 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (16) ◽

pp. 2827 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Carmen Tabernero ◽

Bárbara Luque ◽

Esther Cuadrado

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Young People ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Behavioral Strategies ◽

Multilevel Study ◽

Protective Behavioral Strategies ◽

Protective Strategies

In both developing and underdeveloped countries there has been a worrying increase in the number of young people drinking alcohol; this public health problem warrants more research. This multilevel study analyzed the influence of drinking refusal self-efficacy, peers’ motivation, and protective behavioral strategies as predictors of alcohol consumption in a sample of 261 young people arranged into 52 social groups (peers who regularly shared leisure activities). A series of questionnaires were administered individually to evaluate beliefs and behaviors related to alcohol consumption at both individual level (drinking refusal self-efficacy) and peer level (enhancement motivation and protective behavioral strategies). The results showed that the individual variable (drinking refusal self-efficacy) predicted alcohol consumption behaviors. The multilevel design allowed us to evaluate the direct and moderated effects of peers’ enhancement motivation and protective behavioral strategies on the relationship between self-efficacy and drinking behavior. These results show the importance of developing cognitive, behavioral, and educational intervention programs to increase young people and university students’ confidence and ability to use protective strategies, in order to reduce alcohol use.

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Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 activity and aldehydic load contribute to neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s disease related pathology

Acta Neuropathologica Communications ◽

10.1186/s40478-019-0839-7 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Amit U. Joshi ◽

Lauren D. Van Wassenhove ◽

Kelsey R. Logas ◽

Paras S. Minhas ◽

Katrin I. Andreasson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Mitochondrial Dysfunction ◽

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase ◽

Cortical Neurons ◽

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 ◽

East Asians

AbstractAldehyde dehydrogenase 2 deficiency (ALDH2*2) causes facial flushing in response to alcohol consumption in approximately 560 million East Asians. Recent meta-analysis demonstrated the potential link between ALDH2*2 mutation and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Other studies have linked chronic alcohol consumption as a risk factor for AD. In the present study, we show that fibroblasts of an AD patient that also has an ALDH2*2 mutation or overexpression of ALDH2*2 in fibroblasts derived from AD patients harboring ApoE ε4 allele exhibited increased aldehydic load, oxidative stress, and increased mitochondrial dysfunction relative to healthy subjects and exposure to ethanol exacerbated these dysfunctions. In an in vivo model, daily exposure of WT mice to ethanol for 11 weeks resulted in mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and increased aldehyde levels in their brains and these pathologies were greater in ALDH2*2/*2 (homozygous) mice. Following chronic ethanol exposure, the levels of the AD-associated protein, amyloid-β, and neuroinflammation were higher in the brains of the ALDH2*2/*2 mice relative to WT. Cultured primary cortical neurons of ALDH2*2/*2 mice showed increased sensitivity to ethanol and there was a greater activation of their primary astrocytes relative to the responses of neurons or astrocytes from the WT mice. Importantly, an activator of ALDH2 and ALDH2*2, Alda-1, blunted the ethanol-induced increases in Aβ, and the neuroinflammation in vitro and in vivo. These data indicate that impairment in the metabolism of aldehydes, and specifically ethanol-derived acetaldehyde, is a contributor to AD associated pathology and highlights the likely risk of alcohol consumption in the general population and especially in East Asians that carry ALDH2*2 mutation.

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Acquisitional Processes Underlying Illicit Alcohol Abuse in Underage Children: An Observational Learning Model

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1979.45.3.735 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 45 (3) ◽

pp. 735-740 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

John W. Jones

Keyword(s):

Elementary School ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Abuse ◽

Observational Learning ◽

Drinking Behavior ◽

Learning Model ◽

Male Students ◽

Consumption Rates ◽

Weekly Alcohol Consumption

This study examined 25 boys and 35 girls in an elementary school and found illicit alcohol use occurred in 1 out of 5. Moreover, the frequency of weekly alcohol consumption among both the students' families and friends, as observed by the student, reliably predicted alcohol consumption rates by male students but not females. The obtained pattern of results is discussed in terms of an observational learning model of youths' drinking behavior, and implications of the findings are given.

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