Research suggests that blushing after a few drinks is a symptom of a genetic mutation and deficiency endemic to Taiwan, not an indication of a strong, healthy liver, as popular legend purports.
Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have found that a tendency to blush after drinking comparatively small quantities of alcohol is indicative of a condition called “aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 deficiency,” also known as “ALDH2 deficiency.”
When ethanol enters the human body, it is converted by a type of enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase to acetaldehyde, which is then converted to acetic acid by aldehyde dehydrogenase-2, or ALDH2.
ALDH2 deficiency is a genetic mutation that prevents the human body from quickly processing acetaldehyde.
The condition is prevalent in Asia and especially in Taiwan, where it manifests in almost half of the the nation’s population.
According to Chen Che-hong (陳哲宏), a senior research scientist at the school, ALDH2 deficiency is a dominant genetic trait common among members of the Han ethnicity, particularly those who originated along China’s coastline.
However, while this condition occurs in about 35 percent of the Chinese population, it occurs in about 47 percent of Taiwanese, the highest in the world, Chen said.
The mutation is not common in Aboriginal communities, he said.
Chen said that the predilection to blush after drinking alcohol occurs when an impeded metabolic system fails to process acetaldehyde, causing the substance to accumulate in the bloodstream.
As a result, blood vessels dilate and the heartbeat speeds up.
He said that the idea that rapid blushing after drinking as a sign of a strong liver is a pernicious myth.
The body’s failure to metabolize acetaldehyde causes headaches, heart palpitations, nausea and hangovers, as well as inducing cancerous mutations in humans, Chen said, adding that the WHO has been keeping it on its list of Group 1 carcinogens for years.
People with ALDH2 deficiency increases the risk of developing mouth and throat cancer by 50 times if they drink two glasses of wine per day, when compared with a person who does not drink, Chen said.
While Western doctors may say that two glasses of red wine are healthy, this does not apply to Taiwanese, due to the prevalence of ALDH2 deficiency, Chen said.
ALDH2 deficiency is easily detected by consuming an alcoholic drink in front of a mirror to check for blushing, a method that is about 90 percent accurate, the researcher said.
Genetic analysis provides the most precise diagnosis, but Chi Mei Hospital in Tainan is the only facility in Taiwan to offer such tests, Chen said.
The government has failed to adequately educate the public about the dangers of acetaldehyde, Chen said, urging authorities to make it a public health priority.
Since tobacco products and alcohol both contain acetaldehyde, Chen said users of those substances should quit them to protect their health.
A new drug designed to activate ALDH2 in the human body is being developed outside Taiwan and has entered phase one clinical trials, Chen said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS