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Scientists have developed a hand-y way to spot a lush.
Researchers in the UK have found that someone’s love of the sauce may be linked to testosterone exposure in the womb — which has a distinct effect on a baby’s hand development, per a boozy study published in the American Journal Of Human Biology.
“It is possible that differences in alcohol consumption are set in the womb,” said study author John Manning, who teaches evolutionary biology at Swansea University in Wales, the Daily Mail reported.
To determine how people get draughted at such an early age, the scientists surveyed more than 258 students — 169 women and 58 men — on their weekly boozing habits.
They then measured the length of their fingers, which are thought to reveal how much testosterone (the male sex hormone) or estrogen (the female sex hormone) we were exposed to in the womb, and therefore our so-called level of “masculinity.”
Manning specifically used the somewhat disputed method of gauging 2D:4D digit ratios, the discrepancy in length between the index and ring finger.
He believed that having a longer ring finger compared to the index one correlated to more prenatal testosterone exposure while having a longer pointer digit was linked to a higher level of estrogen in the womb.
“This ratio is considered to be a biomarker of the balance between fetal testosterone and estrogen,” the professor explained while describing these so-called booze clues.
The bar exam found that the heavier drinkers tended to have a “low digit ratio” — meaning their ring finger is longer than their index finger — and were therefore exposed to higher levels of male sex hormones in the prenatal chamber.
From this, Manning suggested that higher testosterone — referred to in the study as a “prenatal sex steroid” — results in increased alcohol tolerance and therefore boozing habits.
“Enzymes in male stomachs can reduce the absorption of alcohol by 30 percent whereas females absorb more into the bloodstream,” he said.
However, the study was not so men could have bragging rights about their hepatic fortitude, but rather to shed light on the prevalent issue of alcohol abuse.
“Alcohol consumption is a major social and economic problem,” explained Manning. “Therefore, it is important to understand why alcohol use shows considerable differences across individuals.”
One major caveat is that the study sampled only students, which may represent a small portion of the population in terms of drinking habits.
He explained that more studies will be needed to determine whether the link between prenatal testosterone exposure and adult drinking is causal rather than correlational.
In the past, the 2D:4D ratio has been used to predict everything from penis size to whether someone’s mother had an above-average income.
