'Tipsy' alcohol gene 'could help curb alcoholism'
LONDON. October 20. KAZINFORM Experts say they have found a "tipsy" gene that explains why some people feel alcohol's effects quicker than others; Kazinform refers to BBC News.
The US researchers believe 10% to 20% of people have this gene - called CYP2E1 - and that it may offer some protection against alcoholism.
That is because people who react strongly to alcohol are less likely to become addicted, studies show.
The University of North Carolina said the study aims to help fight addiction, not pave the way for a cheap night out.
Ultimately, people could be given CYP2E1-like drugs to make them more sensitive to alcohol - not to get them drunk more quickly, but to put them off drinking to inebriation, the Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research journal reported.
Lead researcher Professor Kirk Wilhelmsen said: "Obviously we are a long way off having a treatment, but the gene we have found tells us a lot about how alcohol affects the brain."
Most of the alcohol people consume is broken down in the liver, but some is metabolised in the brain by an enzyme which the CYP2E1 gene provides coded instructions for.
People who have the "tipsy" version of CYP2E1 break down alcohol more readily, which explains why they feel the effects of alcohol much quicker than others; Kazinform cites BBC News.
See www.bbc.co.uk for full version.