Longitudinal effects and environmental moderation of ALDH2 and ADH1B gene variants on substance use from age 14 to 40.

Alcohol use and dependence are strongly affected by variation in aldehyde dehydrogenase () and, to a lesser extent, alcohol dehydrogenase () genes. We use this genetic variation with an adoption design to test the causal role of alcohol use on other drug use, as well as the moderating role of adoptive parent, sibling, and peer alcohol use. Longitudinal models were run on 412 genotyped adopted individuals of East Asian ancestry with multiple assessments between ages 14 and 40. We found robust associations between alcohol frequency, quantity, and maximum drinks and , but not , status. The magnitude of the protective effect increased with age, particularly for maximum drinks, though estimates were smaller than previously reported in ancestrally similar individuals in East/North-East Asian countries. These results suggest that sociocultural factors in Minnesota may reduce the protective effects of . We found that peer alcohol use, but not parent or sibling use, predicted adopted offspring's use, and that these environmental influences did not vary by status. Finally, we did not find strong evidence of associations between status and tobacco, marijuana, or illegal drug use, contrary to expectation if alcohol serves as a gateway to use of other drugs.