DR MICHAEL MOSLEY: Incredible new health secrets linked to not being able to hold your drink or...

Heavy drinker or a bit of a lightweight ? Blame your genes. A study published last week reveals how big an impact our genes have on our ability to tolerate alcohol, and why some people can drink so much more than others without, at least in the short term, feeling the effects.

This is partly because our livers don't work as well as they used to, but also because we tend to lose muscle and put on more fat as we age. Fat, unlike muscle, is not so good at soaking up alcohol. But irrespective of age, why is it that some people are much better at handling alcohol? I had my DNA analysed and discovered that my ancestors are mainly European, with a touch of the Middle East. I also had a surprising amount of genes inherited from a distant Neanderthal ancestor , and some studies suggest that could be beneficial for my immune system.

If you have genes that convert alcohol to acetaldehyde rapidly, or you lack genes that make an enzyme that breaks down acetaldehyde, you get a build-up of this toxic substance, and that quickly makes you feel ill if you drink a lot. Not surprisingly, people like me, who have these genes, tend to drink less than others because of the short-term, unpleasant effects.

But new research, published in the journal Psychological Science, suggests I'm being overly cautious and missing out as a result. One consultant told us 'eating saturated fat will clog arteries as surely as pouring lard down a drain will clog the sink'.

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