Alcoholism and the Indigenous Peoples of the North. Which peoples do not digest alcohol well?

Probably, many have heard that among the indigenous people of the north - for example, the Yakuts, Nenets or Chukchi - alcohol addiction is easily formed. It is enough for them, they say, to drink a sip of vodka or wine to “fly off the coils” ... But where does such a reaction to alcohol come from?

"Gene of Genghis Khan"

There is a myth that the representatives of all Mongoloid races allegedly do not have an active enzyme that breaks down acetaldehyde, a toxic substance into which alcohol is converted when it enters the human body. But it is not so. This feature is observed in about half of the inhabitants of China, Japan and Korea. But the body of the Yakuts and other indigenous northerners is characterized by a high rate of accumulation of acetaldehyde. A specific gene is responsible for the conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde. And the corresponding variation of this gene (it was dubbed the “Genghis Khan gene”), which reduces resistance to alcohol and increases its toxic effects on the body, is most common in Japanese and Chinese, in every third Yakut, Arab or Israeli, and in one in ten Russians.

Actually, genes do not affect the tendency to alcoholism at all, but how a person will feel after drinking alcohol. In the 70-80s of the last century, scientists found that in some representatives of the Mongoloid races, liver enzymes process alcohol into acetaldehyde 30-100 times faster than in the body of Europeans, and this toxin breaks down very slowly.

Not knowing the taste of alcohol...

Why is this happening? Let's turn to history. In Greece, Italy, Transcaucasia and other southern regions, the culture of winemaking has been developing for thousands of years. Since the inhabitants of these places not only produced alcoholic beverages, but also consumed them themselves, over time, an appropriate alcohol resistance gene was developed in their bodies. In the future, this feature began to be inherited. Surely you have noticed that southerners are able to drink quite a lot of alcohol and still not look very drunk. Few among them are chronic alcoholics.

As for Russia, our winemaking has never been so developed. In Ancient Rus', alcohol was most often brought from distant lands, or they themselves brewed “brazhka”. They drank on holidays or "on occasion" ... This tradition has survived to this day. But, since the “resistance gene” in the body of Russians is not as “powerful” as that of representatives of southern countries and republics, the chances of a Russian person getting drunk, according to experts, are approximately 50 to 50.

But the northern peoples are a completely different story. The fact is that before meeting Russians, they simply did not try alcoholic beverages. Growing vineyards in the northern regions is problematic, and somehow they didn’t think of getting alcohol in other ways. Therefore, the cherished gene variation among the Yakuts, Evenks and other indigenous northerners is rare.

What happens if a northerner without a “resistance gene” tries alcohol? Of course, someone, having experienced all the delights of a hangover, will no longer want to touch alcohol. But someone, having experienced the euphoria of intoxication, will begin to demand more and more, and will not be able to stop.

The Russian conquerors of the north, having learned about this physiological feature of the natives, began to actively use it. A bottle of vodka in Siberia has become hard currency. The locals willingly exchanged furs and minerals for alcohol, they were ready to do anything to get the coveted "laughing water" ... By the way, the same thing happened to the Indians during the colonization of America - and according to some ethnographic hypotheses, they and the Russian northerners have in common ancestors…

The problem at the state level

For a couple of centuries of the conquest of the North, the desired gene variation in many aborigines, alas, did not have time to form. The same Yakutia is now in first place in Russia in terms of the number of chronic alcoholics. And it is almost impossible to cure such people. This has become a national problem and put the entire nation in danger of extinction. In 2013, the administration of the Republic of Sakha was even forced to impose significant restrictions on the sale of alcohol. It is planned that in the future alcoholic beverages will be available only in specialized places. Active prevention of drunkenness and alcoholism is carried out almost from early childhood.

But at the same time, it cannot be argued that absolutely all Yakuts and representatives of their kindred peoples are predisposed to alcoholism, since after all, not every one of them possesses the fatal "Genghis Khan gene."

The prospect of becoming an alcoholic depends not only on moral and volitional qualities, but also on where you were born and raised

It is a well-known fact that the Chukchi, Nenets, Yakuts and other peoples of the Far North (as well as the Indians of North America) should not drink alcohol, because they instantly develop a persistent alcohol addiction. Literally after the first glass or glass they run the risk of becoming alcoholics. Is this true and why is this happening?

Unique "genghis khan gene"

One often hears that one of the features of the Mongoloid races is that the enzyme "responsible" for the breakdown of acetaldehyde is not active. But acetaldehyde is a toxic substance into which alcohol is transformed when it enters the human body.

This is not entirely true. Enzyme inactivity is widespread among the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese - this feature is characteristic of about half of the inhabitants of these countries. If we talk about the Eskimos, Yakuts, Chukchi and other peoples of the North, then they have a high rate of accumulation of acetaldehyde in the body.

Alcohol, getting into the human body, turns into acetaldehyde under the influence of a certain gene. One of the varieties of the "Genghis Khan gene", as scientists have called it, reduces the body's resistance to alcohol and makes its effects particularly toxic. It is the “Genghis Khan gene” that is present in half of the Chinese and Japanese, as well as in every third Arab, Israeli or Yakut. As for the Russians, only 10% can have such a gene.

Why Georgians, Greeks and Italians don't get drunk...

The southern peoples, familiar with the culture of winemaking since antiquity, have long been on "you" with alcohol. In Italy, Greece, in the Transcaucasus, not only natural wine was produced for a long time, but they themselves actively drank it. During this time, representatives of the southern peoples have developed a gene that is "responsible" for resistance to alcohol. Generations later, this feature even began to be inherited. Among Georgians and Armenians, Italians and Spaniards, Greeks and French, it is difficult to meet a real alcoholic, while they are able to drink quite a lot of wine without becoming drunk and without losing control of themselves.

... and the Russians drink too much

In Rus', they almost did not engage in winemaking - the latitudes are more northern. It happened that the Slavs cooked "brazhka" and drank it on special occasions - at weddings, on holidays. However, Russians do not have such powerful protection against alcohol in their bodies as the "resistance gene" characteristic of the representatives of the southern peoples, so it is much easier for a Russian person to sleep - scientists define this risk as 50/50.

Bought for a bottle

There is an opinion that the Russians first brought alcohol to the northern peoples, and before that, neither the Chukchi, nor the Evenks, nor the rest of the inhabitants of the North tried alcohol. That is why they did not develop that very “resistance gene” - they simply did not have time.

What happens when an Eskimo or Chukchi tastes vodka for the first time? Two options are possible - either, having suffered from a hangover, a person will never touch alcohol again, or, inspired by vivid sensations, on the contrary, he will begin to reach for a glass more and more often and quickly get drunk. Unfortunately, the second option prevails.

When the Russians began to conquer the North, they, having learned about this feature of the locals, turned it to their advantage: they exchanged valuable furs, minerals and products for vodka, just like those who came there and pushed the Indians did in North America .

Who in Rus' is not good at drinking

Employees of the Siberian Branch of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted a study of the inhabitants of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and found a direct relationship between lifestyle, nutrition and alcoholism among the Nenets.

According to scientists, this nation traditionally eats a large amount of fatty meat, their type of nutrition can be characterized as protein-lipid. This is due to the way of life and climate, as their ancestors ate for thousands of years. The blood of these peoples is slightly more liquid than that of the inhabitants of central Russia - this protects them from the occurrence of heart attacks, from blood clots.

But northern peoples consume very little carbohydrates, and this creates a predisposition to alcohol addiction. But even more dangerous for them is the uncontrolled sale of alcohol. The lack of control in this area is like an epidemic: it takes thousands of lives.

In 2014, experts concluded that under the influence of alcohol, northern peoples are dying out faster and faster, the population of these regions is declining irresistibly. For example, half a million people live in Yamal, and there are more than 7,000 chronic alcoholics among them, this is a very large percentage, and unofficial data may turn out to be even more frightening.

Sociologists also referred Taimyr, Yakutia, Magadan and the region, the Nenets Autonomous Okrug to the most drinking Russian regions.

Alcoholism is a disease that affects all nationalities, but it inflicts the strongest blow on the small peoples of the North. In my opinion, in the Magadan region, this is the main threat to the indigenous people of the region since the collapse of the USSR.
It is alcohol that currently kills people, breaks destinies, leaves children orphans. Let's try to understand this issue, see what needs to be done and what can be done now to minimize this threat.
The photo was taken on the central square of the village of Evensk, Magadan region, which is the center of the North-Evensky national region.

Science says that there is a relationship between nutrition and a tendency to alcoholism among representatives of the indigenous peoples of the North (Indigenous Peoples of the North). Physiology is manifested in the rapid formation of alcohol dependence, and as the World Health Organization says, indigenous peoples do not have enzymes in their bodies that break down alcohol. In this connection, alcohol has a strong destructive effect on the brain and quickly forms alcohol addiction.

Over the millennia of living in the Far North, the indigenous peoples have developed a protein-lipid type of nutrition, this is when they eat a lot of meat and a lot of fat. This type of diet has developed the ability for faster wound healing, better response to antibiotics, and resistance to cancer. But the lack of carbohydrates in the diet for centuries, according to scientists, leads to the rapid emergence of alcohol dependence.

According to the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Medical Sciences, the death rate from alcohol among indigenous peoples exceeds that of natives of central Russia and southern territories by 15-20 times.

This is how science sees the problem. It is difficult to disagree with this point of view, but in my opinion the problem is much deeper and, in addition to natural predisposition, the socio-economic component comes first. Under the USSR, all indigenous peoples of the North were provided with work related to their age-old way of life, there were collective farms and state farms in which they raised and bred deer, extracted bioresources and sea animals, collected all kinds of medicinal herbs, people were engaged in hunting, as the state provided them with the necessary resources and redeemed the received trophies. People were busy, their talents and abilities were in demand, and there was simply no time to drink. And most interestingly, this industry was cost-effective and profitable.

But after the collapse of the USSR, the state and local authorities were not up to the SIM, state farms and collective farms fell apart, herds of deer were put under the knife. People were left without work, left to their own devices. And now, after 20 years, they are sitting in the villages receiving benefits, pensions that they spend on drink in a few days.
The village of Evensk, near the sea pier.

In order to distract people from drinking, first of all they need to be given work, do what they love, give them the opportunity to have an interesting rest. People are ready to change themselves and their lives, you just need to help them. And after all, this can be done now, if it doesn’t work out, build sports grounds and play areas in small villages for all residents. After all, there really is nothing of this, at all. What can we say about the locals, if on the third day of our stay in the village of Evensk we ourselves began to drink. That's really all the entertainment, it's to walk along the main street to the Sea of Okhotsk to leave stones in it. We didn't find anything else there.

But the situation can be corrected even now. Imagine, we are in a fishing team about 100 km from the village of Evensk on the Gizhiga River, which can only be reached by an all-terrain vehicle due to the lack of roads as such (tundra and swamps all around). In the evening, a man comes out of the darkness with a boy of 7-8 years old. We invite them to drink tea, and when he reads the story, we slowly freak out. So it turns out that they live in the village of Verkhniy Paren, which is also about 100 km from our place, they are Koryaks by nationality. They go on foot to Evensk, because dad wants his son to spend the summer in a children's camp at the hot mineral spring Tavatum, get medical treatment there and improve his health. Together, almost 200 km on foot, with only a knife, salt, a mug, spoons, a bowler hat and a fishing line with a hook.

Well, of course, we immediately asked, but how is a meeting with a bear not scary? He replied that if the bear begins to show interest in them, he kindles a small fire and puts damp grass in it, the smoke always scares the beast away. We asked, what if the smoke does not scare away and the bear goes on the attack? By the way, the answer also killed us literally something like this: “it means it’s time to go to the top people.”

And now the most important thing for which I remembered this meeting, we offered him a beer or vodka of his choice, and so he refused, saying that he should take his son to the camp and away from sinhaving begun to gather, he asked to be transferred by boat to the other side of the river.

It turns out that it is possible to break this circle, because people drink from hopelessness, and when they have a goal in this life, there is a job, a place where you can spend your leisure time, then perhaps the next generation of the indigenous peoples of the North will not drink and will take an active life position in all aspects of our difficult life!!!

When a person drinks alcohol, the body immediately begins to work in an enhanced mode, trying to quickly remove it. Enzymes are responsible for the breakdown of ethanol. Their action is due to the fact that some people can drink more alcohol, while others immediately feel very intoxicated. But which enzyme breaks down ethanol?

Enzymes that break down alcohol in the body

Alcohol is a strong poison, so the body tries to neutralize its effect as quickly as possible. The breakdown of ethyl alcohol is carried out under the action of two enzymes, the names of which are alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ACDH).

As soon as the first dose of alcohol enters the body, the production of ADH starts. This enzyme breaks down ethanol into practically harmless elements.

The only exception is the highly toxic acetaldehyde. ACDH is responsible for its neutralization. The degree of damage to internal organs depends on how quickly this enzyme will break down acetaldehyde.

Alcohol dehydrogenase is able to break down ethanol with a strength of 57% at a rate of 28.9 g / hour. It is synthesized by the liver in very large quantities, and a little more of the enzyme is produced by the tissues of the stomach.

Although the only function of this enzyme in the body is the digestion of ethanol, it is also produced in horses and all other mammals. The explanation for this fact can be the fact that bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract secrete negligible doses of ethyl alcohol.

In the process of digesting alcohol, acetaldehyde appears - a highly toxic substance that ADH cannot cope with. At this stage, the production of the second enzyme, ACDH, starts in all tissues. This enzyme completes the conversion of alcohol to acetic acid, which is safe for the body.

Some people have a lack of ACDH or its complete absence, caused by a genetic mutation. This causes, which is expressed in redness of the skin and body, an increase in temperature due to the accumulation of acetaldehyde.

Ethanol conversion processes

The process of converting alcohol in the body occurs in stages:

Breakdown of ethanol to harmless substances and acetaldehyde.
Conversion of acetaldehyde to acetic acid.
The decomposition of vinegar into carbon dioxide and water.

Under the action of alcohol dehydrogenase, alcohol is processed into relatively harmless substances and toxic acetaldehyde. In men, ethanol undergoes partial processing already in the stomach. As a result, less alcohol enters the small intestine, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream.

The breakdown of alcohol in the body

In the female body, the stomach produces less alcohol dehydrogenase. Therefore, more ethanol is eventually absorbed from the intestines into the blood. This explains the fact that women reach the state of intoxication faster.

Up to 5% of ethanol is excreted from the body with urine, sweat and in the process of breathing - this specific smell is popularly called "fumes". The remaining volume of alcohol is digested in various tissues with the help of ACDH, which converts toxic acetaldehyde to harmless acetic acid.

If the metabolism is not disturbed, the vinegar then quickly turns into carbon dioxide and ordinary water. This releases 7 calories per gram of alcohol. They are either consumed or deposited in the body.

The rate of sobering depends on the volume of production of the enzymes ADH and ACDH by the liver. It is impossible to speed up this process either with coffee or with the help of any other stimulants. Advertised pills only help relieve the symptoms of alcohol intoxication, but they cannot help a person sober up faster.

When alcohol is consumed by a healthy person, its enzymatic system affects only the drink drunk. Ethanol that enters the cells is not broken down.

With alcohol intolerance, the symptoms of a hangover in a person appear before the hangover itself occurs. Even a small glass of wine can provoke such a state, since the long-term presence of acetaldehyde in the body poisons it, causes nausea, and headaches. If a person drinks a second glass of wine, he will develop a very strong intoxication.

The prospect of becoming an alcoholic depends not only on moral and strong-willed qualities, but also on where you were born and raised.

Edition eg.ru wonders if this is true and why this is happening.

Unique "genghis khan gene"

It is the “Genghis Khan gene” that is present in half of the Chinese and Japanese, as well as in every third Arab, Israeli or Yakut. As for the Russians, only 10% can have such a gene.

Why don't Armenians, Greeks and Italians drink too much...

... and the Russians drink too much

Bought for a bottle

Who in Rus' is not good at drinking

Sociologists also referred Taimyr, Yakutia, Magadan and the region, the Nenets Autonomous Okrug to the most drinking Russian regions.

News-Armenia

Alcoholism and the Indigenous Peoples of the North. Which peoples do not digest alcohol well?

"Gene of Genghis Khan"

Not knowing the taste of alcohol...