UNC research team studies alcoholism gene

A handful of college-aged people sitting around drinking doesn’t usually lead to scientific advances.

But Kirk Wilhelmsen, a genetics professor at UNC, made it happen while researching a “tipsy gene” that makes people drunk faster — and more protected from developing alcoholism.

“We gave alcohol to college students and their siblings, and looked at how they metabolized alcohol physically and based on what they reported,” Wilhelmsen said.

The research team then studied the participants’ DNA to find which genes were affected most by the alcohol. They found that the gene CYP2E1 was the culprit.

Wilhelmsen said this gene causes those who have it — about 10 to 20 percent of the population — to feel the effects of alcohol more quickly than those who don’t. This has led the gene to be referred to in several publications as the “tipsy gene.”

He said he’s had multiple people call him to ask if there’s any way to remove the gene in order to increase drinkers’ tolerances.

Wilhelmsen said it’s been especially popular in Australia, where there’s a social stigma against “lightweights.”

But he said the gene is actually beneficial because it has been shown to make alcoholism less likely in those who have it, as people with higher tolerances tend to drink more.

A. Leslie Morrow, associate director of UNC’s Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, said Wilhelmsen’s research will add to the center’s ongoing efforts.

“It’s definitely an important contribution to our understanding of factors that promote alcohol intake,” she said. “I think it’s going to take us closer to understanding the genetics behind the risk for alcoholism.”

Wilhelmsen cautioned that one gene isn’t the only cause of alcoholism, though.

“The genetics of alcoholism is pretty complicated,” he said. “There are lots of reasons why people become alcoholics, and many people become alcoholics later in life for various reasons, like self-medicating.

“Most of us have this idea that alcoholics are sort of middle-aged people who drink too much, but in fact far more alcoholics are college-aged,” he added.

Dean Blackburn, assistant dean of students at UNC, said he thinks these findings can be used to further alcohol education at UNC.

“This is information that we can use in our education of students, to tell them the road signs and red flags to look for,” he said, adding that he believes having a high tolerance could lead some students to abuse alcohol more than others.

“Many teenagers have this invulnerability status, thinking, ‘I’m invincible, I’m invulnerable, nothing can hurt me,’” he said. “I think that makes it more difficult to educate students on this type of research.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.