Are you an Alcoholic? It's in your genes say the researchers

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) researchers has discovered a gene variant in mice that predicts how much alcohol they may consume. Scientists are trying to see whether humans also exhibit the same pattern.

US Army and National Institute of Health are working together on a joint project called The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The researchers at this institute had identified earlier that genes played a vital part on alcohol consumption, but were unable to identify the specific gene until now. The researchers said that mice with a variant of the Grm 7 gene influenced its drinking behavior considerably; they consumed more alcohol compared to the mice that don’t have this type of gene. NIAAA director Dr. Ting-Kai Li said to the media that finding the link between the Grm7 and alcohol consumption was a breakthrough.

This is a noteworthy contribution, particularly since identifying genes that predispose to alcohol-related behaviors is such an arduous task,”

Professor Csaba Vadasz from New York University’s School of Medicine, one of the lead researchers in this project, said if they are able to find a similar gene variant in humans, it will help doctors to fight or control alcohol dependency. If the scientists are able to identify this gene in humans, then it will help the person to face his or her alcohol problems and use preventive measures to fight it. But one should know whether they have alcohol problems or not, they don’t need a gene to prove that unless they are in a denial stage. There is a site called 23andme partly funded by Google, which analyzes your DNA for $1,000 and tells the traits you may possess and health risks you may carry. If the above researchers are able to find the gene variant in humans, then sites like 23andme.com will be able to find it out.