{"id":2805,"date":"2019-12-03T02:42:50","date_gmt":"2019-12-03T02:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/?p=2805"},"modified":"2019-12-03T15:15:36","modified_gmt":"2019-12-03T15:15:36","slug":"genetic-testing-alcoholism-by-david-wang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/genetic-testing-alcoholism-by-david-wang\/","title":{"rendered":"Genetic Testing- Alcoholism, by David Wang"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What\nis alcoholism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol\ndependence, also known as alcoholism, is a form of alcohol addiction where the\nindividual has a physical dependence on the consumption of alcohol. This\nphysical dependence causes individuals to consume more alcohol than individuals\nwho do not have a dependence on alcohol, which further increases the health\nrisks of alcohol. Some of these risks include high blood pressure, stroke, and\nliver cancer. Furthermore, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH),\nindividuals with alcoholism are more vulnerable to diseases such as tuberculosis\nand pneumonia. This is because alcohol can weaken the immune system. Every\nyear, over 3.3 million individuals die worldwide due to alcoholism. This is the\nthird highest cause of preventable deaths, behind smoking and overeating. In\naddition, according to data from 2009, approximately 3.5% of cancer deaths in the\nUnited States was caused by alcohol. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to\nSNPedia, there are six known SNPs that affect the likelihood that an individual\nwill suffer from alcoholism. One example of these SNPs is rs1799971, where the\nrs1799971 (G) variant increases one\u2019s cravings for alcohol compared to the\nnormal allele, rs1799971 (A) for both carriers and individuals with two G\nalleles. However, for individuals with the G variant, they respond to\nnaltrexone treatment better than those with the A variant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Testing\nfor alcoholism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some individuals\nmay experience more severe symptoms as a result of alcoholism, such as seizures\nand increased risk for ADHD. For those who are concerned about such symptoms,\nthey should take a genetic test to see if they have an increased likelihood of\nsuffering from such symptoms. Because there are two SNPs, rs27048 and rs27072,\nthat are associated with such severe symptoms, an SNP test, which does not need\nto be a whole sequencing test, will produce the best results at the lowest\ncosts, such as a $199 23andme test. However, if anyone is interested in whether\nhe or she has an increased risk of alcoholism in general, a $599 Veritas test\nworks best. However, a test specifically for rs1076560 (A), which is the most\ncommon allele that increases the risk of alcoholism, also works well. Carriers\nof this allele are 30% more at risk of becoming an alcoholic compared to\nindividuals who have two rs1076560 (C) alleles. The tests will satisfy the\nneeds of those who are interested in such information, as there is enough\nevidence to conclude that an increased risk of alcoholism has correlations with\ngenetics. Despite the evidence, however, having an allele that increases the risk\nfor alcoholism does not guarantee that one will become an alcoholic, nor does\nit guarantee that one will develop the more severe symptoms, such as ADHD, as\nthe risks of having certain alleles are probability-based, rather than a\nguarantee. For instance, while data shows that a carrier of the rs1076560 (A)\nallele is 30% more likely to become an alcoholic, this does not mean that he or\nshe will be an alcoholic automatically because he or she drank one sip of beer.\nFurthermore, there are some contradictory studies against the idea that\nrs1799971 has anything to do with alcoholism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ethical\nConcerns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to\nthe National Institutes of Health, the majority of participants in a study\nregarding the effects of genetics on alcoholism were more concerned about\ndiscrimination from their physician (approximately 40%), rather than their\nfamily and friends (approx. 29%). Therefore, if participants are considering\nsuch a test, then they should evaluate whether they would feel comfortable\naround their physician after taking such a test. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Testing\nPositive<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If someone\ntests positive in regards to any of the alleles that increase the risk of\nalcoholism, then his or her has a likelihood of inheriting this risk, as these\nalleles are hereditary. In order to better manage this risk, he or she can contact\nthe Addiction Center for advice. Rehabilitation treatment from the Addiction\nCenter is not necessary, unless he or she already has an alcohol addiction. However,\nif anyone tests positive, then he or she should not be forbidden to drink as\nlong as he or she follows the rules that pertain to drinking, such as not\ndrinking until 21 and avoiding the behavior of drunk driving. Heavier\nself-restraint, however, is advised, and abstinence is recommended. If an\nindividual has a rs1799971 (G) allele and is suffering from alcoholism, then he\nor she should consult a doctor because individuals with this allele, despite\nhaving an increased risk of alcoholism, respond better to naltrexone treatment\nthan normal individuals do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scott, D. M. et al.\n(2014, August). Genetic testing for the susceptibility to alcohol\ndependence:  interest and concerns in an\nAfrican American population. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4120651\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

23andMe. (2019,\nOctober 4). The Genetics of Alcoholism. Retrieved from https:\/\/blog.23andme.com\/23andme-research\/the-genetics-of-alcoholism\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcoholism. (n.d.).\nRetrieved from https:\/\/www.snpedia.com\/index.php\/Alcoholism<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

rs1799971. (n.d.).\nRetrieved from https:\/\/www.snpedia.com\/index.php\/Rs1799971<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

rs1076560. (n.d.).\nRetrieved from https:\/\/www.snpedia.com\/index.php\/Rs1076560<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

rs27072. (n.d.).\nRetrieved from https:\/\/www.snpedia.com\/index.php\/Rs27072<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

rs27048. (n.d.).\nRetrieved from https:\/\/www.snpedia.com\/index.php\/Rs27048<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol’s Effects on\nthe Body. (2019, June 6). Retrieved from https:\/\/www.niaaa.nih.gov\/alcohols-effects-body.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is alcoholism Alcohol dependence, also known as alcoholism, is a form of alcohol addiction where the individual has a physical dependence on the consumption of alcohol. This physical dependence causes individuals to consume more alcohol than individuals who do not have a dependence on alcohol, which further increases the health risks of alcohol. Some … Continue reading Genetic Testing- Alcoholism, by David Wang<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3172,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[110,1],"tags":[109],"class_list":["post-2805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-genetic-testing","category-uncategorized","tag-genetictesting"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3172"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2805\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}