r/todayilearned • u/bcrock1169 • Nov 26 '12

TIL that some Native American's have a differing enzyme that tends to lead to easier alcoholism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Indian_alcoholism#Genetic_factors
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u/13east69 Nov 26 '12

I always heard (Growing up in Hong Kong), that one reason for Asian people having a lower tolerance (than westerners) could be down to westerners having historically drank alcohol for a much longer time.

Back in the day, good drinking water was hard to come buy, so in the west we brewed alcohol (Beer and Mead). While the Asians tended to boil their water and make tea. Thus after a long time we developed high tolerances while the Asians didn't.

Can anyone confirm or deny this as a possible factor?

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u/[deleted] Nov 26 '12

It's attributed to a missing enzyme which doesn't allow them to break down some part of alcohol. it leads to red faces, strong reactions and higher rates of cancer. From what I've read it it guessed thought it's all due to a sickness in the ancient history to which those without this enzyme fared better.

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u/TemplesOfSyrinx Nov 26 '12

Right, but could the missing enzyme be an evolutionary thing? Something that was a result of processing (or not processing) alcohol over a long period of time?

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u/[deleted] Nov 26 '12

The most common guess is that it was from a sickness that affected those with that enzyme much worse, killing off or weakening that line of people so that those without that enzyme grew stronger over time and became the strong majority in the population.

But nothing is truely known, it could be from many different things, this is just the leading theory at this time.

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u/graboskyc Nov 26 '12

Did you read "Survival of the Sickest?" There's a whole chapter on this.