Alcohol[/caption]Mike Reardon---Those who are alcoholic have an additional risk outside of the physical ones usually associated with alcoholism such as kidney damage and early onset dementia. Alcohol has a genetic link, and that same link has been found among people with eating disorders.
“In clinical practice, it’s been observed that individuals with eating disorders also have high rates of alcohol abuse and dependence,” said Melissa A. Munn-Chernoff, PhD, the study’s first author. “Other studies have focused on the genetic connections between alcohol dependence and eating disorders, but all of those studies looked only at women. Ours was the first to include men as well.”
The information from the research is scheduled for the September issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found it’s likely some of the same genes are involved in both alcoholism and obesity.
The Mayo Clinic offers information on the factors related to alcoholism. One of the principal ones is the family history. The risk of alcoholism is higher for people who have a parent or other close relatives who have problems with alcohol.
Genetic factors are also involved in obesity. Obesity tends to run in families because of that and also because the members of the family often have similar eating patterns, lifestyle and activity levels. If both parents are obese, than it is more likely the child will be as well.
And now researchers have found those overweight, with other members in the family with similar concerns, the likelihood of alcoholism also increases due to the same factors of genetics, lifestyle and family habits.