[Genetic evaluation of tolerance to alcohol]

Alcohol sensitivity which is genetically controlled changes the risk of alcoholic diseases development in such individuals. There are differences in the allelic frequencies of the ALDH2, ADH2 and ADH3 loci, between alcoholics and nonalcoholics. It was shown that the atypical ALDH2/2 is an alcohol-rejecting gene and the usual ALDH1/2 gene is a major "alcoholic" gene. The kinetic differences of ADH2 isozymes may also affect drinking behavior. In conclusion, genetic polymorphism of the ALDH and ADH genes influence the risk of alcoholism development. It may be possible to control alcoholism by suppression of "alcoholic" genes expression through genomic intervention.