Blue eyed-people at higher risk for alcohol dependency, University of Vermont study finds
Researchers at University of Vermont have reported finding a genetic link between eye color and a person's risk for alcohol dependency. Credit: Flickr / Look Into My Eyes
Those baby blues could be red flags.
People with blue eyes may be at higher risk for alcohol dependency, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Vermont.
The study, which included 1,263 European-Americans, found evidence of an association between alcohol dependency and blue eye color, supporting the hypothesis that light eye color is a risk factor relative to brown eyes.
The proof was in people's genes.
"Network-based analyses revealed a statistically significant number of genetic interactions between eye color genes and AD [alcohol-dependency] associated genes," reported the study, which was published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics.
Researchers say the findings suggest that eye pigmentation information may be useful in research on alcohol dependency.
So perhaps, the eyes are not only a window into the soul, but also a glimpse into a person's relationship with booze.
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