Alcohol-metabolizing enzyme genes have also been associated with mean or maximal alcohol consumption levels, potential intermediate phenotypes for alcohol dependence14–19. In a meta-analysis of GWASs (N > 105,000 European subjects), KLB was associated with alcohol consumption20. A GWAS of alcohol consumption in the UK Biobank sample21 identified GWS associations at 14 loci (8 independent), including three alcohol-metabolizing genes on chromosome 4 (ADH1B, ADH1C, and ADH5), an intergenic SNP on chromosome 4, and KLB, replicating the prior meta-analytic findings. Risk genes identified in this study included GCKR, CADM2, and FAM69C.
