We all enjoy a drink (or six) on occasion, but it turns out the colour of our eyes might influence the frequency we chose to solve our problems with alcohol.
Geneticists at the University of Vermont just released the results of a large study, which linked alcohol dependence to eye colour through a number of genetic factors.
The researchers looked at a group of genetic profifles from 1263 European-Americans and controlled for population stratification. After the control, they found that those with lighter eye colours, such as green, blue, and grey, had higher incidences of alcohol dependency than those with darker eyes.
Leading the way? Those sweet baby blues.
The researchers were able to make direct genetic connections, which in their own words sounds like:
“We found evidence of linkage disequilibrium between an AD-associated GABA receptor gene cluster,GABRB3/GABRG3, and eye color genes, OCA2/HERC2, as well as between AD-associated GRM5 and pigmentation-associated TYR. Our population-phenotype, network, and linkage disequilibrium analyses support association between blue eye color and AD.”
Which is a really complicated and technical way of saying, if you have lighter eyes, specifically blue eyes, you’re more likely to have the genetic markers for alcohol dependence.
The research is the first of its kind on the subject and the team at UofV stressed further characterization was necessary – but it gives some credence to research that already exists pointing to the fact that alcoholism can be largely genetic.
So the next time your parents tell you that you might be drinking too much, you can look them in the eye and (probably) blame them.
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