ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2014
The association of alcohol intake with γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels: evidence for correlated genetic effects.
Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Persistently Elevated Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase and Hepatobiliary Malignancies: A Real-World Cohort Study.Cancers · 2026Article
- From Serum to Genome: γ-Glutamyltransferase Gene Family Variants Shape Ischemic Stroke Risk via Sex-Specific Gene-Environment Interactions.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Goals, cheers, and gamma-GT: Do football tournaments affect laboratory parameters?Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The Serum γ-Glutamyltransferase Level Is Associated with the Development of Hypertension in Alcohol Infrequent Drinkers but Not in Frequent Drinkers.Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) · 2025Article
- Transition From a High-Sugar and Butter to a Standard Diet Leads to Cecal Dysbiosis, Disrupts Intestinal Homeostasis, and Favors Increased Ethanol Consumption and Preference.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2025Article
- Does the Interaction Between Alcohol Use and Depression Exacerbate Hyperglycemia Risk? A Cross-Sectional Study Beyond Additive Effects.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- Protein Associations With Alcohol Consumption and Genetic Risk for Alcohol-Related Sociomedical Conditions.Addiction biology · 2025Article
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- Role of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Periodontitis: A Bidirectional Relationship.Cureus · 2024Review
- Association analysis between an epigenetic risk score and blood pressure.Research square · 2024Article
- Association analysis between an epigenetic alcohol risk score and blood pressure.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2024Article
- Effects of prazosin treatment on liver enzymes are moderated by alcohol withdrawal symptoms in individuals with alcohol use disorder.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2024Article
- The Self-Rated Effects of Alcohol Are Related to Presystemic Metabolism of Alcohol.Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire) · 2023Article
- Clinical Significance of Gamma-Glutamyltranspeptidase Combined with Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin for the Assessment of Excessive Alcohol Consumption in Patients with Alcoholic Cirrhosis.Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Serum Gamma Glutamyl transferase is a predictor of recurrence after R0 hepatectomy for patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases.Therapeutic advances in medical oncology · 2020Article
- Serum Gamma-Glutamyltransferase Levels are Associated with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in China: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.Scientific reports · 2018Article
- The utility of twins in developmental cognitive neuroscience research: How twins strengthen the ABCD research design.Developmental cognitive neuroscience · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBlood levels of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) are used as a marker for (heavy) alcohol use. The role of GGT in the anti-oxidant defense mechanism that is part of normal metabolism supposes a causal effect of alcohol intake on GGT. However, there is variability in the response of GGT to alcohol use, which may result from genetic differences between individuals. This study aimed to determine whether the epidemiological association between alcohol intake and GGT at the population level is necessarily a causal one or may also reflect effects of genetic pleiotropy (genes influencing multiple traits).
methodsData on alcohol intake (grams alcohol/day) and GGT, originating from twins, their siblings and parents (N=6465) were analyzed with structural equation models. Bivariate genetic models tested whether genetic and environmental factors influencing alcohol intake and GGT correlated significantly. Significant genetic and environmental correlations are consistent with a causal model. If only the genetic correlation is significant, this is evidence for genetic pleiotropy.
resultsPhenotypic correlations between alcohol intake and GGT were significant in men (r=.17) and women (r=.09). The genetic factors underlying alcohol intake correlated significantly with those for GGT, whereas the environmental factors were weakly correlated (explaining 4-7% vs. 1-2% of the variance in GGT respectively).
conclusionsIn this healthy population sample, the epidemiological association of alcohol intake with GGT is at least partly explained by genetic pleiotropy. Future longitudinal twin studies should determine whether a causal mechanism underlying this association might be confined to heavy drinking populations.
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