Research has revealed that people who become red-faced after drinking alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer may not be able to produce one enzyme known as acetaldehyde dehydrogenase which is responsible for the clear-up of a toxic metabolite from alcohol.

When alcohol is ingested, it is subject to an oxidation process that converts alcohol to a toxic chemical called acetaldehyde, which is in turn converted by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase into harmless acetic acid - the main ingredient in vinegar.  Without acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, people become red-faced while acetaldehyde accumulates.

Acetaldehyde, which is found high in pickled or fermented foods, is recognized as a carcinogen.  Studies have found that people who do not have this enzyme are at 10 to 20 times higher risk for a number of gastric or digestive cancers including oral cancer, esophageal cancer and stomach cancer.

More than 50% of Asians do not produce acetaldehyde dehydrogenase while deficiency of this enzyme in white people is rare.   Lack of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase is likely responsible for the red-facedness as gene testing reveals that people who get red-faced easily after drinking alcohol often have no gene that is responsible for the synthesis of this enzyme.

There is no way at this time to help people without acetaldehyde dehydrogenase to prevent acetaldehyde poisoning. People who are not able to produce the enzyme should refrain from drinking alcohol.

Alcohol drinking is a known risk factor for breast cancer. Alcoholic beverages are recognized as human carcinogens by the National Toxicology Program. (David Liu, PHD)