The length of your ring finger could reveal important clues about your drinking habits, according to a new study.
Research suggests that alcohol consumption is influenced by prenatal sex steroids, which is why experts from Swansea University (Wales), in collaboration with colleagues from the Medical University of Łódź (Poland), investigated this link.
Their results were recently published in American Journal of Human Biology.
The role of testosterone in alcohol consumption
The study identified a correlation between high alcohol consumption and a longer fourth (ring) finger compared to the second (index) finger. This report indicates a high prenatal level of testosterone relative to estrogen, which appears to be associated with increased alcohol consumption in college students.
“Alcohol consumption is a major social and economic problem. It is therefore important to understand why this behavior varies significantly between individuals,” said Professor John Manning, member of the A-STEM (Applied Sports, Technology, Exercise and Medicine) research team at Swansea University.
Ring finger length associated with drinking habits
The study included a sample of 258 participants, of which 169 were women, and showed significant gender differences. Men had higher alcohol consumption and higher alcohol abuse-related mortality than women.
“Such a pattern suggests the involvement of sex hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen. The ratio of ring finger length (4D) to index finger length (2D) is considered an indicator of prenatal exposure to testosterone (longer 4D) and estrogen (longer 2D),” Professor Manning explained.
“Alcohol-dependent patients are known to typically have the ring finger considerably longer than the index finger, suggesting a high prenatal exposure to testosterone relative to estrogen. As expected, these associations were stronger in men than in women,” the researcher continued.
The researchers hope that these findings will contribute to a better understanding of the factors that underlie the variation in alcohol consumption, from abstinence and occasional use to harmful dependence.
This study joins a series of previous papers by Professor Manning that have explored the link between finger ratio and various aspects of health, including evolution after infection with COVID-19 and oxygen consumption in footballers.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
