This report begins with a presentation of two theoretical mechanisms for conceptualizing environmental influences on alcohol consumption and related phenotypes, offered as a model to help synthesize and critique the extant literature in this area. We then review studies that have tested hypotheses about the interplay between measured genes and the environment in U.S. racial/ethnic minority populations, focusing on African Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, Asians, and American Indians. By measured gene studies, we refer to those that have used molecular methods and examined genetic variation in a given region or at a specific marker on a chromosome. (See Agrawal et al. in this issue for a discussion of latent genetic studies using twin designs.) However, because these genetic studies are few, we also identify some key environmental exposures shown to be associated with greater risks or protections for drinking and AUD in these populations.
