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Citation
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Rueger SY, Hu H, McNamara P, Cao D, Hao W, King AC. Addiction 2014; 110(1): 91-99. |
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Affiliation
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Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, Wheaton College, Wheaton IL, USA. |
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Abstract
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AIMS: Compare subjective responses to alcohol among Han Chinese and Caucasian American males.
DESIGN: Double-blinded, placebo-controlled human laboratory design. Participants completed three randomized experimental sessions with high and low alcohol, and placebo beverage. SETTING: Chinese participants were examined at Xinjiang Medical University, China. Caucasian participants were examined at the University of Chicago, USA. PARTICIPANTS: 70 Han Chinese (35 heavy/35 light drinkers) and 75 Caucasian Americans (43 heavy/32 light drinkers). MEASUREMENTS: Breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) and the Stimulation and Sedation subscales of the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale were assessed at pre-drink baseline and four timepoints after beverage consumption. The Like and Want subscales of the Drug Effects Questionnaire were also assessed at the post-drink assessments.
FINDINGS: Comparisons with light drinkers showed that high and low dose alcohol produced decreases in stimulation, liking, and wanting in Chinese vs. Caucasians (ps<.05), and dose-dependent increases in sedation in both groups (ps<0.001). Among heavy drinkers, high dose alcohol produced higher stimulation (p<0.001) but with concomitant higher sedation for both doses (ps<0.05) for Chinese vs. Caucasians. Alcohol also demonstrated significantly lower liking (ps<0.001) in Chinese vs. Caucasian heavy drinkers for both doses. Interestingly, both groups showed dose dependent increases in wanting relative to placebo (ps<0.05), but the magnitude of the increase was lower in Chinese.
CONCLUSIONS: Stimulating effects of alcohol are predominant in Chinese male binge drinkers, as has been found-in Caucasians, but with less hedonic and motivational reward, potentially explaining some of the lower risk for alcohol disorders in Asian subgroups.
Language: en |