Hangover symptoms in Asian Americans with variations in the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) gene.

OBJECTIVE: Hangovers are not experienced by all people and whether they contribute to the development of alcoholism is unclear. One population that might provide some insight into the role of hangover in the etiology of alcohol use disorders is that of individuals of Asian heritage. Certain Asians have lower rates of alcohol use and alcoholism, findings associated with a mutation in the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) gene. Asians with ALDH2*2 alleles drink less and are less likely to be alcoholic than Asians without this mutation. Following alcohol ingestion, they exhibit more intense reactions to alcohol and generate higher levels of the metabolite acetaldehyde. This study evaluated hangover symptoms in Asian Americans with variations in the ALDH2 gene. METHOD: Men and women of Chinese, Japanese and Korean heritage (N = 140) were asked about their drinking history and a blood sample was collected for genotyping at the ALDH2 locus. Subjects used a Likert-type scale to estimate their severity of hangover and completed a 13-item hangover scale assessing the frequency of hangover symptoms during the previous 6 months. RESULTS: With abstainers (n = 17) excluded and with the effects of gender and recent drinking history controlled, ALDH2 genotype accounted for a significant amount of additional variability in the estimated severity of hangover score with a similar, but nonsignificant, trend for a five-item subscale score derived from the hangover scale. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Asian Americans with ALDH2*2 alleles may experience more severe hangovers that may contribute, in part, to protection against the development of excessive or problematic drinking in this population.

Evaluation of the self-rating of the effects of alcohol form in Asian Americans with aldehyde dehydrogenase polymorphisms.

OBJECTIVE: In order to easily assess individual differences in response to alcohol, the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) form was recently developed and its psychometric properties tested in primarily white subjects. This study aimed to further evaluate the SRE in a population known to have genetically mediated variability in response to alcohol and risk for alcoholism, Asian Americans with ALDH2 polymorphisms. METHOD: Men and women of Chinese, Japanese or Korean heritage between the ages of 21 and 26 years (N = 156) completed the SRE and a blood sample was drawn for genotyping at the ALDH2 locus. RESULTS: SRE results were available from 137 (78 female) subjects. With the effects of gender, body weight, frequency of recent drinking and quantity of recent drinking controlled, ALDH2 genotype still accounted for a significant amount of variability in SRE score in this Asian-American sample. Evaluation of SRE scores 4.5 or higher indicated that a low response to alcohol was associated with ALDH2*1/2*1 genotype, male gender and Korean heritage, all factors associated with increased risk for alcoholism. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide additional support for the SRE as a valid instrument for assessing individual variability in response to alcohol and as a useful measure for identifying individuals at relatively increased or decreased risk for alcoholism based on level of reaction to alcohol.