the flush

[obiwan]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

any of you out succumb to the dreaded asian flush? i know that its a genetic problem but have you tried any sort of remedy or do you just accept the fact that you got some messed up genes

 

[Kuba]

haha, my good buddy always gets it when he drinks. Hes Viet, and he used to think he was allergic to alcohol. What he told me if he has a beer 4 or 5 hours before he starts drinknig heavier then he doesnt have the problem anymore. just an anectdote.

 

[funshine]

haha, I get the physical manifestation of the "asian flush" whenever I'm excited, don't even need to drink to turn red. From what I understand, the red flush after alcohol intake is due to low levels of ADH...or maybe we have some mutated form of ADH that can't work as efficiently. I've heard both theories. Anyway, most asians have either one or both mutated ADH alleles. If you're heterozygous, you can probably build tolerance by frequent drinking...it's not advisable but I know a number of asian guys who claim it works. Also taking Pepcid and other acid neutralizers can help prevent the flush. I'm not sure why this is, actually, and no one's answered that. You'll hear a lot of anecdotes on what works, but it might not work for you. As for homozygotes, which I'm guessing I am, we can't build tolerance to this condition no matter how much or often we drink. I'll throw up before I get drunk.

 

[mychelle774]

Never heard that ADH one, but I think that would be kind of ridiculous seeing as ADH sure seems important 😉 . Anyway, I think Pepcid coats your stomach so you don't absorb the alcohol quickly. Gets rid of the red 👍 . But your body eventually makes you throw it up regardless, er at least in my experience. The "Asian flush" theory I've heard the most is that we (ok our ancestors) eat so much rice that it made our diet deficient in some protein needed in some metabolic pathway to make some enzyme that is needed to process alcohol without turning us red. Too bad, I love rice. More than alcohol, so I guess it's worth it. So yeah, I've yet to find a cure for the "Asian flush" (a totally worthy research endeavor that will most certainly be well-funded considering the proportion of Asians among scientists 😀 ).

 

[SmoothNC]

the actual problem is that you have a defective form of the gene that codes for alcohol dehydrogenase

 

[OctoDoc]

the actual problem is that you have a defective form of the gene that codes for alcohol dehydrogenase

That's what I've always heard.

 

[badlydrawnvik]

yeah one of my good friends gets this every time he drinks. i told him i'd do my med school research on fixing it. it'll be like popping a lactaid before you have dairy if your lactose intolerent!

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

I get the Asian flush but I'm not Asian. Blast!

 

[njaqua]

the actual problem is that you have a defective form of the gene that codes for alcohol dehydrogenase

actually it's aldehyde deyhrogenase.

 

[mychelle774]

actually it's aldehyde deyhrogenase.

 

[austinap]

actually it's aldehyde deyhrogenase.

There we go! The metabolism of alcohol is from ethanol to acetaldehyde (by alcohol dehydrogenase). The acetaldehyde is then decomposed by aldehyde dehydrogenase. The 'asian flush' happens when there is something wrong with the aldehyde dehydrogenase (either a mutated for, or not enough of it), causing acetaldehyde to build up. Acetaldehyde is relatively toxic in comparison to alcohol.

My understanding is that the drug they give to alcoholics (you know, the one where they start throwing up when they drink? I don't know the name off hand) works in the same manner. It causes the metabolish to build up at the acetaldehyde state, which causes sickness at high enough levels.

Edit:

I just did a quick search, and the enzyme in question is mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2). Apparently the ALDH2 isoenzyme (ALDH2*2) found in many people of asian descent has a considerably lower Km value, meaning that it isn't as efficient. The entire metabolic pathway is:

EtOH ----------------------> Acetaldehyde -------------------> acetic acid
         alcohol dehydrogenase                       ALDH2

acetic acid is easily used by the body. Also, due to the equilibrium nature of the metabolism, the build-up of acetaldehyde shifts the equilibrium of the first reaction to the left, causing higher blood alcohol levels in people with defective ALDH2 compared to those with the normal enzyme all other things being equal.

 

[ivy91]

Hehe I guess I'm one of the lucky few who doesn't turn red, no matter how much I drink. God, I love my Korean liver of steel... 🙂

 

[littlebusteR]

I used to get it really bad, but then when I started drinking 3 days a week, it miraculously disappeared! 😀 But I'm only half asian, so I suppose that would likely play a role. I'm still a ridiculously cheap drunk however, which is just fine by me!
I've heard of the Pepcid AC thing, and I've tried it, but I would NOT recommend it. I got sharp stabbing pains in my stomach everytime, which I guess would stop the flush, if only because you're in too much pain to drink any more alcohol...

 

[mj1878]

In addition to the Flush, does anyone else get really itchy on the bottoms of their feet? I've found that standing in a tub of cold water is the only thing that helps, really. Kind of embarrassing. 😕

 

[JSK44]

Try taking Pepcid AC before drinking. 😉

 

[badlydrawnvik]

haha i dunno, ivy, you got pretty tipsy prreeetty fast at revisit!

 

[mychelle774]

There we go! The metabolism of alcohol is from ethanol to acetaldehyde (by alcohol dehydrogenase). The acetaldehyde is then decomposed by aldehyde dehydrogenase. The 'asian flush' happens when there is something wrong with the aldehyde dehydrogenase (either a mutated for, or not enough of it), causing acetaldehyde to build up. Acetaldehyde is relatively toxic in comparison to alcohol.

My understanding is that the drug they give to alcoholics (you know, the one where they start throwing up when they drink? I don't know the name off hand) works in the same manner. It causes the metabolish to build up at the acetaldehyde state, which causes sickness at high enough levels.

Edit:

I just did a quick search, and the enzyme in question is mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2). Apparently the ALDH2 isoenzyme (ALDH2*2) found in many people of asian descent has a considerably lower Km value, meaning that it isn't as efficient. The entire metabolic pathway is:

EtOH ----------------------> Acetaldehyde -------------------> acetic acid
         alcohol dehydrogenase                       ALDH2

acetic acid is easily used by the body. Also, due to the equilibrium nature of the metabolism, the build-up of acetaldehyde shifts the equilibrium of the first reaction to the left, causing higher blood alcohol levels in people with defective ALDH2 compared to those with the normal enzyme all other things being equal.

Wow, so much learning. 😍

 

[masterMood]

what's the asian flush is it some sneaky poker hand that beats all the other hands because of some complex mathematical algorithim that only asian people know?

 

[kirexhana]

what's the asian flush is it some sneaky poker hand that beats all the other hands because of some complex mathematical algorithim that only asian people know?

well, yea. it's when you have a flush of hearts, and another player tries to beat you with the same hand in spades, you pull out your AP calc book that you saved from the 7th grade and beat him to death. 😎

EDIT: ohyea, i prefer to call it asian glow. asian flush either sounds like a poker hand or something you do after eating bad sushi. 👎 :

 

[red dot]

i drink several times a week -- and i swear by pepcid ac. it makes you considerably less flushed. 🙂 i even tried the generic brands and they don't work as well for some reason. the same stuff is inside.

 

[OctoDoc]

In addition to the Flush, does anyone else get really itchy on the bottoms of their feet? I've found that standing in a tub of cold water is the only thing that helps, really. Kind of embarrassing. 😕

Sounds like a histamine response. You might be slightly allergic to alcohol. Or maybe you are just plain ole weird. 😀

 

[red dot]

my nose always itches when i drink. anyone else?

 

[OctoDoc]

my nose always itches when i drink. anyone else?

Not itch, but I lose some sensation of touch in my face, just as my buzz kicks in. I can always tell when the loopiness starts, and I sometimes start touching my nose as the touch sensation ebbs. It is an odd, yet interesting feeling. I also quit being ticklish, which is probably related.

 

[UMP]

Not itch, but I lose some sensation of touch in my face, just as my buzz kicks in. I can always tell when the loopiness starts, and I sometimes start touching my nose as the touch sensation ebbs. It is an odd, yet interesting feeling. I also quit being ticklish, which is probably related.

congratulations, you were drunk

 

[OctoDoc]

congratulations, you were drunk

Duh. What gave it away (hic), occifer?