Role of Genes in Promoting Alcohol Dependence
Comparative family, twin & adoption studies have revealed that genes do play an important role in determining individual preference for alcohol & the likelihood of his or her developing alcoholism. Although this does not follow the simple law of inheritance, instead alcoholism is largely influenced by several genes interacting with each other alongside various other environmental factors.
Genes – Alcohol & Cardiovascular Health
Some evidence does confirm that genes in fact influence the alcohol affects on the cardiovascular health. Alcohol Dehydrogenase is an enzyme within our system which enables in the process of metabolizing alcohol. There also is a single variant of this enzyme called Alcohol Dehydrogenase Type 1C (ADH1C) coming in double flavors. One of which quickly breaks down alcohol in the system while the other does it much slowly.
Normally, people consuming moderate amounts of alcohol & having two copies of the gene for slow-acting enzyme are at a much lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases compared to moderate drinkers having two genes of the fast-acting enzyme. People with a single gene for slow-acting & one for the fast-acting fall in between.
Genes – Alcohol Benefits
The fast acting Alcohol Dehydrogenase enzyme breaks down alcohol before it can display beneficial effects on HDL & clotting factors. The differences in ADH1C gene do not in any way influence risk of any heart disease among individuals who do not consume alcohol. This firmly establishes strong indirect evidence suggesting that alcohol itself reduces the risk of heart disease.
Risks & Benefits of Alcohol Relate to Changing Circumstances
Risks & Benefits of moderate alcohol consumption in fact change over a lifetime. Risks generally exceed benefits up till middle age. It is from here that cardiovascular disease bears an increasingly larger share of causes for disease & death.
Factors Affecting Risks & Benefits of Alcohol Consumption
· In case of pregnant women & unborn children, recovering alcoholics, people with liver diseases & persons taking one or many medications interacting with alcohol, moderate amounts of alcohol consumption offer little or no benefit but substantial risks on the contrary.
· For around 30-year old men an increased risk of alcohol-related accidents far outweigh any possible health related benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption.
· Assuming that they are not prone to alcoholism, a drink a day offers good protection against heart disease for 60-year old men or more outweighing any potential harm.
· However, benefits & risks calculations are trickier for 60-year old women or more. Each year 10 times more women are found to dies from heart disease than breast cancer. Even though studies reveal women are much afraid of breast cancer than developing heart disease. This must essentially be taken into account while factoring an equation.
Does the Type of Alcohol Consumed Matter
Studies have shown that some types of alcoholic beverages definitely have healthier effects than others. For instance people who drink a single glass of wine a day in place of any other liquor or beer reduce risk of developing Barrett’s Esophagus. Barrett’s Esophagus is a condition found to boost the risk of contacting esophageal cancer.
Many experts suggest that red wine is far better for the heart than white wine as it provides greater amounts of antioxidants like Resveratrol. Many other researches prove no differences effecting breast cancer risks from consuming white or red wine. In the larger context it is the pattern of alcohol consumption which invariably matters & not the type of drink.
Moderate Alcohol Consumption Standard
A safe level of alcohol consumption for an individual may not be true for another person. Therefore deriving a universal fixed amount of moderate alcohol consumption is impractical. Safe alcohol intake depends upon the consumers’ physical & mental health at that point of time. Hence sensible safe levels must be tailored according to individual requirements.
