1. ¹Cancer Research UK General Practice Research Group, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
2. ²Clinical Genomics Group, Royal Brompton Hospital, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK

Correspondence: Dr MR Munafò, Cancer Research UK GPRG, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6HE, UK. Tel: +44 1865 224807; Fax: +44 1865 224989; E-mail: marcus.munafo@clinpharm.ox.ac.uk

Received 13 July 2004; Revised 9 September 2004; Accepted 19 October 2004; Published online 25 January 2005.

Abstract

An association between the DRD2 Taq1A (C32806T) polymorphism and social alcohol consumption in the opposite direction to that reported for alcoholism has recently been reported in a male Finnish sample. We attempted to replicate these findings in two independent samples, and extend on previous work by including female participants. The DRD2 A1 allele was significantly associated with reduced alcohol consumption in sample one (P=0.004) and sample two (P=0.015). In sample two there was a significant genotype sex interaction (P=0.016), with the association of the A1 allele and reduced alcohol consumption significant in men only. This interaction was marginally significant (P=0.042) in a meta-analysis of combined data from both samples, and the main effect of genotype highly significant (P<0.001). Age at time of data collection and cigarette consumption were entered as covariates in all analyses. These results replicate recent previous findings and suggest a possibility that this association may exist in men only, or be stronger in men.