Maximum consumption is related to genes involved in metabolizing alcohol, and these genes are perhaps those most robustly implicated in alcoholism to date. For instance, individuals with a polymorphism of the gene for aldehyde dehyrogenase, typically found only in those of East Asian descent, are relatively unable to metabolize acetaldehyde, an intermediate product of alcohol. The resulting accumulation of acetaldehyde causes them to experience intense facial flushing and other uncomfortable reactions to alcohol, and they are less likely to become alcoholic. A recent study found that Asian-American college students with this gene were as likely to become inebriated as those without it. However, they drank less in a 24-hr period (Wall, Shea, Chan, & Carr, 2001), suggesting that maximum consumption reflects their genotype more closely than other measures of drinking. Maximum consumption has also been linked to a region of chromosome 4 containing the genes for alcohol dehydrogenase (Saccone et al., 2000), another enzyme involved in alcohol metabolism and similarly implicated in alcoholism risk.
