Asians would know what I’m talking about. You drink a few sips of alcohol and suddenly, you feel nauseated and hot, you face turns beet red, and your heart beats faster. Known as the “Asian Glow” or “Asian Flush”, this reaction to alcohol is a risk factor for cancer of the esophagus, one of the deadliest in the world.
The alcohol flushing response is an inherited genetic trait – deficiency in the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2)- common among one third of Japanese, Chinese and Koreans.

Here’s how the enzyme works: In normal individuals, alcohol is broken down into a non-toxic forms …read more