[Association among genotypes of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 and alcohol consumption]

A large population survey was made for the determination of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) genotypes among 630 unrelated Japanese adults by PCR using allele specific primers. The frequencies of three genotypes were 60% ALDH2*1/ALDH2*1 (NN) type, 35% ALDH2*1/ALDH2*2 (ND) type and 5% ALDH2*2/ALDH2*2 (dd) type. Average amounts of alcohol consumption per month for three genotypes were 965.8 g/month for NN type, 629.5 g/month for ND type and 179 g/month for DD type. The differences in average alcohol consumption were significant (p < 0.01) among the three genetic different groups. When male and female date were analyzed separately for these three groups, significant differences among three groups were found in both genders. These results indicated that ALDH2 mutant is an important genetic factor for limiting the alcohol consumption. The frequencies of ALDH2 genotypes were not significantly different between male and female population groups, however, their average alcohol consumption were significantly different between the two groups. Therefore, various social factors and life styles, in addition to genetic factors, might concern in the difference of alcohol consumption.