A new study has concluded that initiation into alcohol at a young age may affect the genes linked to alcoholism and make youngsters vulnerable to severe problems.
The study led by Dr Arpana Agrawal, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, revealed that the younger an individual was at first drink, the greater the risk for alcohol dependence and the more prominent the role played by genetic factors.
Alcohol Use Disorder | Alcoholism
Alcohol use disorder or alcoholism is an inability to control drinking. It can cause short term and long term physical, as well as psychological effects on the patient.
Alcohol use disorder or alcoholism is an inability to control drinking. It can cause short term and long term physical, as well as psychological effects on the patient.
"That's very consistent with what has been predicted in the literature and in the classification of types of alcohol dependence, but we present a unique test of the hypothesis," she added.
During the study, the researchers studied 6,257 adult twins from Australia and measured the extent to which age at first drink changed the role of heritable influences on symptoms of alcohol dependence.
Alcohol and Driving-Blood Alcohol Level-Indian Law-Walk Test and Breathalyzer
Alcohol and driving do not mix. Drunken driving is the cause of many deaths in the world.
Alcohol and driving do not mix. Drunken driving is the cause of many deaths in the world.
The team also found that those who were 15 or younger when they started drinking tended to have a greater genetic risk for alcohol dependence.
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"Something about starting to drink at an early age puts young people at risk for later problems associated with drinking," Agrawal says.
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Teen drinking fuelled by Alcohol-branded Wares
Youngsters, especially teenagers who sport T-shirts, hats and other wares that seem to carry an alcohol brand name on it are more likely to get inspired to initiate early with the spirits
Youngsters, especially teenagers who sport T-shirts, hats and other wares that seem to carry an alcohol brand name on it are more likely to get inspired to initiate early with the spirits
"Some early-onset drinkers do not develop alcohol problems and some late-onset drinkers do - we are working on why that is the case, but it is important to note that this is one risk factor among many and does not determine whether a person will, or will not, develop alcohol dependence.
"But age at first drink is a well-known risk factor, and there have been two main hypotheses about why:
One has been that common genetic and environmental factors contribute both to the risk for alcohol dependence and to the likelihood a person will be younger when consuming their first drink," she added.
The study will be published Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Source-ANI
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