Despite the strong relationship between flushing and reduced alcohol consumption, we note that 20% of AD men in the sample show aldehyde deficiency, which poses health risks in individuals who consume alcohol. Studies by Yokoyama and colleagues demonstrate an elevated risk of esophageal cancer among alcohol dehydrogenase deficient individuals (rs671 GG) who frequently consume alcohol (Yokoyama et al. 1997, 2005; Brooks et al. 2009). AD, like other substance dependence traits, is a complex phenotype mediated by a number of environmental and genetic factors, some of which are likely to be population specific.
