Why do Asians often blush after drinking alcohol?

Have you ever wondered why there are people who blush even though they drink only a little beer? And if you are also part of this person, please give your condolences, because it is a bad news.

You blushed even though you just sipped some alcoholic drinks? In fact, this is not a problem. Because on average, every 3 people in East Asia such as China, Japan and Korea have a person who has experienced redness syndrome when drinking alcohol, beer or alcohol.

This syndrome occurs because of a deficiency of one of the enzymes involved in alcohol metabolism: aldehyde dehydrogenase , which is mainly inherited in Asians. This type of reaction is quite rare, but not too strange for people in other areas.

However, in addition to making you blush, this syndrome also brings positive and negative effects on health. The following article will explain the mechanism of this syndrome.

How does your body resolve alcohol?

Alcohol is absorbed and decomposed in the liver following a two-step procedure. In the first step, the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme converts alcohol into a fairly toxic chemical, acetaldehyde . Digesting this harmful substance into the body is also the reason you feel dizzy and nauseous after each drink.

Next, a second enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase, converts acetaldehyde to acetic acid (a harmless acid component commonly found in vinegar).

One-third of East Asians are blushing after drinking alcohol.

Lack of Aldehyde dehydrogenase is quite common in Chinese, Korean and Japanese people. Most of them will inherit two copies of the impaired gene of this enzyme from both parents. Accordingly, their liver will continue to create a bug version of this enzyme.

Those who only inherit defective genes from their parents produce both normal and defective enzymes. However, the result of this deficiency is only 1% of all enzyme activity, not as much as 50% you expect. Because this bug version is less stable and the copies of the enzyme need to work together to work effectively.

If you inherit a partial or total deficiency of aldehyde dehydrogenase, acetaldehyde will accumulate much, quickly and "stay" in your body as soon as you have just "lifted the glass" - immediately after all The unpleasant feelings accompany. That is exactly the feeling "the remnants of the drunkenness that you are quite familiar with: nausea, sweating, headache, heart palpitations, dizziness, and red face.

Blushing is a good or bad sign?

The good news is that due to a deficiency of aldehyde dehydrogenase, alcoholism and alcoholic cancers are less common in East Asia. Because of the discomfort they experience after drinking beer, alcohol causes them to drink less.

However, it is inevitable that bad news. If you lack aldehyde dehydrogenase, but still take it, you still have a high risk of alcohol-related cancers, such as esophageal cancer. This risk is highest for partially deficient people. Because the remaining enzyme works weakly and makes it hard to withstand the negative effects of drinking alcohol.

People with redness when drinking alcohol are at higher risk of developing cancers.

However, many people who are deficient in aldehyde dehydrogenase still take it. The reason why they like alcohol is quite complicated. It may be due to metabolism or stimulants from the brain, which may also be due to social factors.

Some people feel more 'excited' than others when drinking alcohol and this can contribute to addiction.

Other studies on the drinking habits of Asian American university students have shown that social influences can help minimize unpleasant effects on the body due to a deficiency of aldehyde dehydrogenase. For example, contact with the culture of drinking alcohol from a young age, peer pressure or family attitude towards alcohol .

Do antihistamines stop you from blushing?

In mass media, antihistamines are often advertised to reduce redness syndrome when drinking alcohol.

It is true that many drugs can reduce blushing, but they are not traditional antihistamines. Other drugs used to treat gastric acid reflux (such as Zantac and Tagamet) also work to reduce redness caused by alcohol. However, these drugs are only used to prevent histamine H1 receptors and cannot stop blushing due to alcohol.

If aldehyde dehydrogenase is missing, it is best to avoid alcohol as far as possible.

H2 receptor inhibitors have few side effects and are relatively safe. However, they only reduce symptoms and not reduce the toxic effects of acetaldehyde. Overuse of drugs or excessive drinking can increase the risk of cancer.

So if you have aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, it's best to avoid alcohol as far as possible. But if you drink, you should only drink a little and let the red face naturally be better.

No matter what form of alcohol is put into our bodies, it is metabolized in the same way. But remember, the amount of alcohol you drink and the speed of drinking have different effects on acetaldehyde levels in your body.

Is Antabuse a "god" medicine?

Whether blushing or not, we should stay away from alcoholic beverages.

It has long been noted that workers in rubber factories suffer from similar symptoms when they drink alcohol. In the 1930s, Disulfiram, a banned chemical substance, was discovered and by the 1950s it was marketed as Antabuse (alcohol ablation). In the 1980s, experts realized that Antabuse could block the action of aldehyde dehydrogenase.

Therefore, taking Antabuse can cause a deficiency of temporary aldehype dehydrogenase and only one drink is enough to produce unpleasant symptoms similar to those experienced by genetic deficiencies.

But this is definitely not a 'holy medicine' and works for everyone. In particular, for people with aldehype dehydrogenase deficiency, temporary lightheadedness and lightheadedness are not enough to keep them away from the 'yeast ghost'.