Gene CYP2E1 enhance new drugs to treat alcoholism

I am among those people who drink little, because soon after a few sips begin to feel ill. For this reason, always wondered why this happened with me and not with my friends who were drinking, for hours and nothing felt.

I came to think about making treatment for my body accept greater quantity of alcohol, but gave up when arose in my mind the reminder that my father died because of alcohol.

Reading the article ‘Drunken’ gene discovered by scientists, my doubts were clarified. The answer lies in a gene. Researchers have discovered that 10-20% of the population has the version of the CYP2E1 gene that protects against alcoholism. Probably I am part of this group. 

The gene CYP2E1 is the explanation for the fact that some people drinking and not feel anything, while others drink the same amount and are evil. Those who drink and do not feel anything, are likely to become addicted. Those who react strongly to alcohol, are less likely to become alcoholics, according to the study.

The discovery of this gene is major breakthroughs in the fight to combat addiction, because enhance new drugs to treat alcoholism.

The CYP2E1 gene provides coded instructions for making the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. People who have the version of the CYP2E1 gene metabolize alcohol more easily and soon begin to feel the effects of alcohol more quickly than others.

Professor Kirk Wilhelmsen, the senior study author from the University of North Carolina, 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.”

There are several reasons why people drink. Among these social problems, used as an excuse. Another reason may be the combination of genes with the environment where they live, whereas alcohol dependence occurs in all families. That’s what the experts say.

One thing is clear: parents alcoholics quadruple the chances of their children becoming addicted to alcohol.

Some people free from alcohol addiction through charitable entities and drugs to treat alcoholism. But there are thousands of others that cannot. I hope by the day on which the alchoolism is an easily curable disease.

photo by @tanata