We genotyped the rs1229984 G→A variant of the alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) gene, which is associated with lower prevalence of alcohol abuse and dependence.
Given the logistic and ethical constraints that would be associated with a trial of alcohol use to prevent depression, we aimed to complete a Mendelian randomization study to determine if a genetic polymorphism associated with alcohol abuse and dependence (ADH1B rs1229984 G-->A) contributed to modulate the risk of depression in a community-derived cohort of older men.
The ADH1B gene has consistently been implicated in problem drinking, but rarely incorporated into gene by environment investigations of alcohol phenotypes.
The ADH1B genotype was associated with the frequency and volume of drinking but its associations with binge drinking and problem drinking were less consistent.
Among conventional markers of alcohol abuse, the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of erythrocytes is prognostic of alcohol-related cancer and its predictivity increases when combined with functional polymorphisms of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH1B [rs1229984] and ADH1C [rs698]) and the mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2 [rs671]).