People with the gene are less likely than others to become alcoholics because they are more sensitive to alcohol and can't consume large amounts of it.
A ‘drunken’ gene — or some might call it a ‘lightweight’ gene — has been discovered by researchers probing the causes of alcoholism.
Scientists in the US investigated the genome of 237 college students who had one alcohol-dependent parent but were not alcoholics themselves.
Participants' response to drinking was linked to their genetic make-up. Students were given a mixture of grain alcohol and soda that was equivalent to about three average alcoholic drinks.
At regular intervals they were then asked whether they felt drunk, sober, sleepy or awake.
The gene, CYP2E1, located on chromosome 10, provides the coded instructions for making an enzyme that breaks down alcohol.
Scientists have found that 10% to 20% of the population in the US possesses a particular version of the gene that causes them to get drunk easily. The first few drinks during a night out will leave these individuals feeling more inebriated than their friends.
The researchers said these people are less likely than others to become alcoholics because they are more sensitive to alcohol and can't consume large amounts of it, The Telegraph reported.
Senior study author Kirk Wilhelmsen from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said: "We have found a gene that protects against alcoholism, and on top of that, has a very strong effect.
“But alcoholism is a very complex disease, and there are lots of complicated reasons why people drink. This may be just one of the reasons.”
Most of the alcohol in the body is metabolised by another enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase, which works in the liver. CYP2E1's effect on sobriety is probably due to the fact that it is not active in the liver but in the brain. It also generates destructive molecules called free radicals, which can damage sensitive structures such as brain cells.
“But drugs that enhance the effect of CYP2E1 could be used in future to sensitise people to alcohol before an evening's drinking — or even sober them up when they have had one too many,” said the researchers.
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