Patent ID: 8647825

Claim:
A method of differentiating non-ethanol consumption behavior from at least moderate ethanol consumption behavior by a human subject in the period of 2-4 weeks prior to collection of a subject plasma, blood or serum sample to be assayed, comprising: assaying the subject plasma, blood or serum sample for a combination of two or more protein biomarkers selected from the group consisting of: A1BG, A2M, ADIPQ, APCS1, APOAI, C3, C4a, C9, CALCA, CCL3, CCL4, CD40, CLU, CSF2, CXCL5, EGF, F3, F7, FABP3, FN1, GOT1, HRG, IgE, IGF1, IL12p70, IL18, IL2, IL7, ITIH4, KITLG, KLK3, MMP2, RBP4, SAA4, SERPINF1, THPO, VCAM1 and VEGFA, to determine the level of the two or more protein biomarkers in the subject sample; and a) assaying a plurality of samples obtained from a population of individuals of the same gender as the subject who have not consumed ethanol in the period of 2-4 weeks prior to the collection of the plurality of samples for the two or more protein biomarkers to determine the level of the two or more protein biomarkers in the plurality of samples, producing a population standard; and comparing the level of the two or more protein biomarkers in the subject sample to the population standard or b) assaying a standard sample obtained from the subject when the subject had not consumed ethanol in the period of 2-4 weeks prior to the collection of the standard sample for the two or more protein biomarkers to determine the level of the two or more protein biomarkers in the standard sample, producing a subject standard; and comparing the level of the two or more protein biomarkers in the subject sample to the subject standard, wherein a decrease of at least 5% in level of A1BG, A2M, ADIPQ, C3, C4a, C9, CALCA, CCL3, CCL4, CD40, CLU, CXCL5, EGF, F3, F7, FABP3, IgE, IGF1, IL2, IL12p70, IL18, KITLG, KLK3, MMP2, SERPINF1, THPO, VEGFA or VCAM1 and/or an increase of at least 5% in levels of APCS1, APOAI, CSF2, FN1, GOT1, HRG, IL7, ITIH4, RBP4 or SAA4 in the subject sample compared to the population standard or subject standard indicates at least moderate ethanol consumption behavior by the subject in the 2-4 weeks prior to subject sample collection; and wherein a change of less than 5% in ADIPQ, A2M or C3 is indicative of moderate alcohol consumption behavior or less than moderate alcohol consumption behavior; and wherein a change of less than 5% in the level of two or more of A1BG, APCS1, APOAI, C4a, C9, CALCA, CCL3, CCL4, CD40, CLU, CSF2, CXCL5, EGF, F3, F7, FABP3, FN1, GOT1, HRG, IgE, IGF1, IL12p70, IL18, IL2, IL7, ITIH4, KITLG, KLK3, MMP2, RBP4, SAA4, SERPINF1, THPO, VCAM1 or VEGFA is indicative of non-ethanol consumption behavior by the subject in the 2-4 weeks prior to subject sample collection, thereby differentiating non-ethanol consumption behavior from at least moderate drinking behavior which is consumption of at least an average of 0.6 ounces of ethanol/day where the subject is female and at least an average of 1.2 ounces of ethanol/day where the subject is male.