>>19313370
>The common stereotype that Asians get drunk quicker more easily is actually a fallacy. Strictly speaking it's not that they are more 'drunk' in a conventional sense - it's just that they convert alcohol at a faster rate but are then unable to fully metabolize it, which in turn causes the dilation of blood vessels, headaches and nausea - which all can be mistaken for being drunk with as little as one drink.
>So why exactly does this happen? There are two crucial steps to understanding this phenomenon. The first is that there is a variant in the gene that creates the enzyme alchohol dehydrogenase which is used to kick-start the metabolisation of alcohol by converting it to acetaldehyde. The variant increases the efficiency of the enzyme by up to 100 times and, as acetaldehyde is a toxic carcinogenic, means Asian drinkers may not experience the euphoric buzz that comes with a drink but instead get a headache and feel nauseous.
>Conversely, there is a gene varient that makes the enzyme called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) less efficient. This means that the liver is unable to convert acetaldehyde into acetate, causing acetaldehyde to build up in the liver and in turn causing blood vessels to dilate, causing that 'glow'.