The ADH1B*3 allele is relatively common in Eastern African populations, with frequencies of 27 percent among Yoruba, 14 percent among Luhya, and 24 percent among people of African ancestry in the Southwestern United States but only 4 percent among Maasai in Kenya. In contrast, the allele is rare elsewhere and is not found in the European or Asian HapMap samples. Fewer studies of alcohol dependence have been conducted among people of African ancestry, but ADH1B*3 has been shown to be protective against alcohol dependence (Edenberg 2007; Edenberg et al. 2010). Moreover, the presence of ADH1B*3 in pregnant women leads to less drinking at conception and fewer adverse effects in the children born to these women (Jacobson et al. 2006).
