We are evolving an 'ultimate hangover' gene that may stop us from becoming addicted to alcohol

UK Daily Mail ^ | February 20, 2018 | Cecile Borkhararia

[C19fan]

Humans may be evolving an 'ultimate hangover' gene to protect against alcoholism. That's according to a new study that looked at a variant of a gene that makes booze intolerable to the body. Scientists claim this gene variant is being favoured by evolution - and, in time, could stop us from drinking alcohol in the future.

[C19fan]

Before the infrastructure for clean water was develop cultures either drank alcohol or some boiled water product, for example tea or coffee. Europeans went heavily to the alcohol developing a high tolerance for alcohol. Asian went the tea route and can't tolerate alcohol as well. My father is from East Asia and I can't handle alcohol well.

[dsrtsage]

You ever wonder why most cultures that did not historically have alcohol never progressed beyond the stone age?

[C19fan]

China is a big exception.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks C19fan.

[RedStateRocker]

Well, it wouldn’t surprise me if the extreme end of the curve regarding a proclivity to consume excess slowly weeded itself out. Maybe not fast enough for my tastes but we’ve only been consuming alcohol for 10 thousand years or so- maybe at most twice that- short time in terms of natural selection.

[ameribbean expat]

Okay, so what are the Irish supposed to do for an encore?

[ameribbean expat]

The Japanese I’ve done business with seem to thrive on booze fueled nights out. No idea about the Chinese.

[colorado tanker]

Alcohol sales are really increasing in Asia. Johnny Walker seems quite popular.

[wildbill]

Sounds to me like a development from people not clear on the concept of drinking alcohol.

[Caipirabob]

Well, so all that drinking in college WAS for a good cause!

[SunkenCiv]

Or maybe we need a “bouncer gene”.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Doesn’t China have rice wine and plum wine?

[wildbill]

How about a gene that makes you feel even better when you have stopped drinking alcohol after “x” number of drinks that bring your level to almost the inebriated stage.

[SunkenCiv]

Or to avoid this -- "Thought I scored an Angel, and woke up with a Circus Clown."

[SunkenCiv]

[wildbill]

I know you know the definition of coyote ugly so I won’t post.

[SunkenCiv]

I canine understand why so many of us keep falling for it. ;^) Probably thinking with our dingoes has something to do with it.

[LadyDoc]

there is a genetic problem in Asians that they can’t tolerate alcohol: my husband, a Filipino, couldn’t drink either.

We also see it in some AmerIndians.

In the past, alcohol saved lives because it killed germs (weak beer, wine mixed with water). So if you couldn’t drink alcohol, you had a bigger risk to die of diarrhea etc.

now the risk of dying from alcohol related accidents is a bigger risk than dying from dirty water related diseases.

And yes tea drinking was found to cut the water related diseases in Japan etc. I heard a lecture on this somewhere but don’t have the link.

if you travel overseas in rural areas and aren’t sure of the water supply, drink wine beer, well boiled coffee or tea, or coca cola. I’ve seen coca cola etc. sold in isolated villages all over the world. The PC activists hit the ceiling, but hey, it’s safet than water.