Chunk #32 — Explanations for Lower Alcohol Use among African Americans Compared to European Americans — Historical Perspective — Biological Vulnerability and Response to Alcohol
Alcohol metabolism has been identified as one of several biological factors that can influence drinking behavior and negative health consequences from use (Yin & Agarwal, 2001). The metabolism of alcohol is primarily accomplished through two enzymes, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH, on chromosome 4) and mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2, on chromosome 12). ADH breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde, which is then broken down by ALDH into acetate (Ehlers, 2007; Scott & Taylor, 2007). Both ADH and ALDH have several variations, or isoforms, which are encoded by different genes and differ in the rate at which they metabolize alcohol or acetaldehyde, respectively. Isoforms are also found at different frequencies across ethnic groups and thus may help explain variation in drinking behavior as a function of ethnicity (Osier et al., 2002).
