Alcohol-regulating hormone may create drug to prevent cravings

A drug that prevents a craving for alcohol may soon be a possibility. This follows the discovery of a hormone that regulates the human desire to drink alcohol.

Researchers have discovered that the liver hormone, FGF21, has an important role in determining drinking limits. They claim that this discovery may lead to the creation of new treatments for people who are unable to control the amount of alcohol they consume.

For the research, more than 105,000 DNA samples, taken from people of European descent, were analysed. The same people were also questioned about their how much they drank each week. The results showed that there was an interaction between the hormone, FGF21, and a gene located in the brain, called beta-Klotho. In approximately 40% of people studied, the researchers identified a specific beta-Klotho variant that related to a reduced consumption of alcohol. Further investigation seemed to show that those who did not have the gene experienced a significant increase in their attraction to alcohol.

“Our study reveals a previously unrecognised liver-brain pathway which regulates alcohol consumption in humans, and which could one day be targeted therapeutically to suppress consumption in problem drinkers. The results point towards an intriguing feedback loop, where FGF21 is produced in the liver in response to sugar and alcohol intake, which then acts directly on the brain to limit consumption,” said Professor Gunter Schumann of King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, adding that further research was needed.