Numerous studies have already sounded the alarm on binge drinking, this new trend which consists of drinking as much alcohol as possible over a short period of time. American researchers have shown that this new addiction was bad for bone health. As for the British researchers, they clearly made the link between the practice of binge drinking among seniors and an increased risk of dementia.
A new study suggests that this quick and happy alcohol addiction is due to a gene, which many teens are believed to be carrying. To carry out this study, British researchers drew up the genetic profile of a group of 16-year-old Europeans, some more inclined than others to binge drinking. For Professor Gunter Schumann of the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s college in London who led this study: “We have discovered that the RASGRF2 gene plays a crucial role in the way alcohol stimulates (or not) the brain so that it is ‘it releases dopamine “. However, people with a high level of dopamine are more likely to pursue drugs so-called “risky” behavior or to research these situations. So people carrying this gene would be predisposed to binge drinking.
In conclusion, the scientists believe that perhaps the establishment of genetic tests should be considered in order to quickly find out which people are likely to have risky behavior with regard to alcohol.
This study is part of the European Imagen research project which focuses on adolescent risk behaviors, and which recruited 2,000 teenage volunteers in England, Ireland, France and Germany.
