ALCOHOL INTAKE IS ASSOCIATED WITH EATING HABITS DURING DEVELOPMENT

Abstract Background & Objectives There are individual differences in susceptibility to alcohol use disorders, and multiple factors including genetic and lifestyle factors would be involved in the susceptibility. The genetic contribution of alcohol use disorders is estimated from twin studies to be around 0.5. Many genetic factors, including single nucleotide variations, have been reported to be involved in alcohol use disorders, but most have low effect sizes and have not been reproducible in subsequent studies. Few analyses have been conducted on life and environmental factors related to alcohol use disorders. The present study focused on eating habits during the developmental period to identify lifestyle factors related to drinking and alcohol use disorders. Method This study included 628 patients who were treated at White Dental Clinic (Saitama, Japan). All of the patients provided written informed consent before participating in the study. Twenty patients were excluded because of incomplete data. The participants completed a questionnaire that consisted of various questions about drinking behaviors and eating habits. The associations between drinking-related traits and eating habits were statistically evaluated using the chi-square test. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science. Result Patients who ate more sweet and sour foods during their developmental years had lower rates of drinking (χ2 = 14.828; p <0.001, χ2 = 6.499; p = 0.015, respectively). Conversely, patients who ate more salty foods had higher rates of drinking (χ2 = 7.150; p = 0.009). Discussion & Conclusion Sweet, sour, and salty tastes are sensations elicited via their unique receptors. Alcohol intake by drinking would act on the central nervous system via the taste buds in the mouth before being taken up into the bloodstream. The formation of neural circuits via taste receptors during the developmental period may influence the rewarding effects of alcohol in adulthood. This study suggests the possibility of developing a new drug for alcohol abstinence.