Blue eyes ‘associated with greater risk of alcohol dependence’

A new genetics study has established a direct connection between a person's eye colour and their risk of alcohol dependence.

The University of Vermont study indicated that primarily European Americans with light-coloured eyes – including green, grey, brown and blue – have a higher incidence of alcohol dependence than those with dark brown eyes, with the strongest tendency among blue-eyed individuals.

Moreover, the study outlined the genetic components that determine eye colour and showed how they line up along the same chromosome as the genes related to excessive alcohol use.

These discoveries were made following an analysis of a clinical and genetic database of more than 10,000 individuals, all of whom were diagnosed with at least one psychiatric illness.

Further research is now needed to better understand this link and learn more about the genetic roots of alcoholism and other disorders.

Arvis Sulovari, a doctoral student in cellular, molecular and biological sciences, said: "It's an incredible opportunity to study genomics in the context of complex human diseases."