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. 2016 May;77(3):393-404.
doi: 10.15288/jsad.2016.77.393.

Interactions Between Alcohol Metabolism Genes and Religious Involvement in Association With Maximum Drinks and Alcohol Dependence Symptoms

Karen G Chartier  1   2 , Danielle M Dick  3 , Laura Almasy  4 , Grace Chan  5 , Fazil Aliev  3   6 , Marc A Schuckit  7 , Denise M Scott  8 , John Kramer  9 , Kathleen K Bucholz  10 , Laura J Bierut  10 , John Nurnberger Jr  11 , Bernice Porjesz  12 , Victor M Hesselbrock  5
Affiliations

Interactions Between Alcohol Metabolism Genes and Religious Involvement in Association With Maximum Drinks and Alcohol Dependence Symptoms

Karen G Chartier et al. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2016 May.

Abstract

Objective: Variations in the genes encoding alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes are associated with both alcohol consumption and dependence in multiple populations. Additionally, some environmental factors have been recognized as modifiers of these relationships. This study examined the modifying effect of religious involvement on relationships between ADH gene variants and alcohol consumption-related phenotypes.

Method: Subjects were African American, European American, and Hispanic American adults with lifetime exposure to alcohol (N = 7,716; 53% female) from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism. Genetic markers included ADH1Brs1229984, ADH1B-rs2066702, ADH1C-rs698, ADH4-rs1042364, and ADH4-rs1800759. Phenotypes were maximum drinks consumed in a 24-hour period and total number of alcohol dependence symptoms according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Religious involvement was defined by self-reported religious services attendance.

Results: Both religious involvement and ADH1B-rs1229984 were negatively associated with the number of maximum drinks consumed and the number of lifetime alcohol dependence symptoms endorsed. The interactions of religious involvement with ADH1B-rs2066702, ADH1C-rs698, and ADH4-rs1042364 were significantly associated with maximum drinks and alcohol dependence symptoms. Risk variants had weaker associations with maximum drinks and alcohol dependence symptoms as a function of increasing religious involvement.

Conclusions: This study provided initial evidence of a modifying effect for religious involvement on relationships between ADH variants and maximum drinks and alcohol dependence symptoms.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Location (top) and correlations (bottom) between the ADH markers. The numbers in diamonds are r2 × 100. The plot was generated using Haploview in 589 singletons and 385 trios from 1,338 families. Shading is the strength of association between pairs of markers; white represents r2 = 0, shades of gray 0 < r2 < 1, and black r2 = 1. The black triangle groups two ADH4 markers in a highly correlated 19 kilobase (kb) block. The asterisks (*) at the top indicate markers that showed a significant interaction with religious involvement for maximum drinks and alcohol dependence symptoms.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Plots of religious involvement with maximum drinks. Interaction effects showed higher maximum drinks consumed for ADH1B-rs2066702, ADH1C-rs698, and ADH4-rs1042364 risk versus protective variants in the context of lower or no religious services attendance. Risk variants are identified by darker shaded bars. No. = number.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Plots of religious involvement with alcohol dependence symptoms. Interaction effects showed more alcohol dependence symptoms for ADH1B-rs2066702, ADH1C-rs698, and ADH4-rs1042364 risk versus protective variants at lower or no religious services attendance levels. Risk variants are identified by darker shaded bars. No. = number; AD = alcohol dependence.
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