Through this survey of published, peer-reviewed studies, we sought to document the current state of the research on the joint effects of genetic and environmental influences on alcohol consumption and related phenotypes in U.S. racial/ethnic minority population groups. Although the reviewed studies made important contributions to science, we identified additional advances that are warranted. First, and most generally, there is a need for an overall increase in the inclusion of more diverse U.S. populations. Our focus here was on African Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, Asians, and American Indians. Studies are especially needed that include Latino/Hispanic and American Indian samples, as well as studies including adults from a range of age groups to coincide with key developmental periods for alcohol use initiation and escalation in different racial/ethnic groups. While important, we do recognize that it may not always be possible to compare differences in G–E relationships across racial/ethnic groups, because the frequency of alleles at specific markers, the associations between alleles, and the distribution of exposure to specific environmental conditions can be different by population group. Regardless, it is important to recognize and
