Twin and adoption studies. How good is the evidence for a genetic role?
Research into the possibility that heredity may influence drinking habits is still in its infancy, and the conclusions that can be reached from a number of the available twin and adoption studies are limited by their methodological deficiencies. Nevertheless, the balance of evidence suggests a modest genetic effect on both normal drinking and alcoholism in men, though similar evidence for women is so far lacking. Further studies are required to assess the significance of the genetic contribution, to elucidate exactly what is inherited, and to examine the nature of gene-environment interactions.
D000300:Adoption; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics*; D003718:Denmark; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012042:Registries; D012107:Research Design; D013548:Sweden; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic; D014481:United States