ALDH2*2 and peer drinking in East Asian college students

Abstract

Background: The ALDH2*2 allele (A-allele) at rs671 is more commonly carried by Asians and is associated with alcohol-related flushing, a strong adverse reaction to alcohol that is protective against drinking. Social factors, such as having friends who binge drink, also contribute to drinking in Asian youth. Objectives: This study examined the interplay between ALDH2*2, peer drinking, and alcohol consumption in college students. We hypothesized that the relationship between ALDH2*2 and standard grams of ethanol per month would vary based on the level of peer drinking. Methods: Subjects (N = 318, 63.25% female) were East Asian college students in the United States who reported drinking alcohol. Data were from the freshman year of a university survey that included a saliva DNA sample. ALDH2*2 status was coded ALDH2*2(+) (A/G and A/A genotypes) and ALDH2*2(−) (G/G genotype). Peer drinking was students’ perception of how many of their friends “got drunk”. Results: Main effects of ALDH2*2(−) and having more friends who got drunk were associated with greater alcohol consumption. The ALDH2*2 × peer drunkenness interaction showed a stronger positive association with alcohol consumption for ALDH2*2(−) versus ALDH2*2(+) at increasing levels of peer drunkenness. Follow-up comparisons within each peer drunkenness level identified significantly higher alcohol consumption for ALDH2*2(−) compared to ALDH2*2(+) at the all friends got drunk level.Conclusion: There was evidence of a stronger effect for ALDH2*2(−) compared to ALDH2*2(+) with greater alcohol use when students were more exposed to peer drinking. Findings contribute to a growing literature on the interrelationships between genetic influences and more permissive environments for alcohol consumption.

Examining interactions between genetic risk for alcohol problems, peer deviance, and interpersonal traumatic events on trajectories of alcohol use disorder symptoms among African American college students

“…College students are particularly susceptible to the influence of peers and social norms related to alcohol and substance use due to increased autonomy by leaving home and the pressure to fit in new social networks (Arnett, 2005). There is evidence from both latent (e.g., twin studies) and measured genetic studies that genetic effects on alcohol use outcomes are greater when peer deviance is high, for both adolescents (Cooke et al, 2015; Dick & Kendler, 2012) and young adults, including college students (O'Shea et al, 2017; Poelen, Scholte, Willemsen, Boomsma, & Engels, 2007). Some studies indicated that peer influence on alcohol outcomes varied as a function of individuals’ genetic predisposition.…”

Association between ALDH2 Variant and Alcohol Dependence in South Indian Population.

“…The signi cant association between the decreased risk of alcohol dependence and ALDH2*2 has been shown in many Asian studies [23,26] including a meta-analysis that demonstrated the link between ALDH2*1 and increased risk of AD according to a dominant model only in east Asians. O'Shea et al analyzed the relationship between ALDH2*2 A allele and peer drinking in east Asian college students con rming the strong protective effect of ALDH2*2 against alcohol addiction [32]. In an Indian study though, in contrast to studies on Asian subjects, Vaswani et al found a high frequency of ALDH2*2 among north Indian alcohol dependent subjects and deemed it to be a risk factor.…”

College students’ use of strategies to hide facial flushing: A target for alcohol education

“…Studies could examine level of peer drinking and whether Asian students are U.S. born, which are also associated with greater alcohol consumption. 5,21…”

“…3 Studies show that these discomforts are not always enough to prevent risky alcohol consumption among individuals who experience alcohol-related flushing, including college students. [4][5][6] The result for those who continue to drink despite experiencing facial flushing is an increased exposure to acetaldehyde and the associated risk for serious health consequences. Even light drinking, for individuals who carry the ALDH2*2 genetic marker, is associated with a higher risk for head and neck cancers.…”