Owl Meat's Tipsy Tuesdays: Seeing red
And here I just thought some people got embarrassed when they drank. In this week's guest column, Owl Meat examines the red-faced drinking phenomenon. Just like in poker, having a flush can work to one's advantage. Owl Meat? Are you there? Ah, here he is:
I had a Korean friend whose face would flush red when he drank alcohol. Other than being a fun party trick, I never gave it much thought. I knew that it was common with some Asians and not dangerous.
Then I read an interesting article in New Scientist on the topic. It turns out that this phenomenon is, in fact, a very advantageous piece of recently evolved physiology.
A genetic study shows that the reaction is from a genetic mutation that occurred about 10,000 years ago.
Coincidentally, it occurred at a time when east Asians were learning to cultivate rice and ferment it into alcoholic beverages ...
The red flush is a by-product of the rapid alcohol metabolism. This allows people to metabolize alcohol at 100 times the rate of others? That's amazing.
You can see how this mutation would have benefits and natural selection would favor those with it.
If the alcohol is metabolized that fast, I suppose that one would feel little of the desired effects of it.
Fascinating. I leave you with some vintage Siouxsie Sioux.
(Photo by Getty Images)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
i would caution against the assumption that this is advantageous. especially considering there is another, more frequent mutation responsible for asian flushing found in the enzyme ALDH2.
in people with flushing and this mutation, acetaldehyde (the toxic product of alcohol metabolism) is inefficiently metabolised. acetaldehyde is the most toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism, and responsible for hangovers and many negative symptoms of alcohol consumption.
this also predisposes sufferers to a higher risk of esophageal cancer.
Posted by: Greg | February 23, 2010 1:50 PM
Good points, Greg. So don't anybody go fiddling with your DNA. As I recall that leads to some kind of devastating world war in one the the Star Trek movies or series.
kHAN ... !!!
Posted by: Owl Meat Genome | February 23, 2010 4:21 PM
Whenever I drink alot of beer,I know I'm always flushing. Someone said its because its a dire uretic or something .
Posted by: Earthquake McGoon | February 24, 2010 6:25 AM
Have you ever done a write-up on bar tab names? One night during Snowpocalypse I was "SOLO FRUIT," while being solo but ordering nothing fruit related. I have been "GIRL" at more than one location where I suppose I was the only lonely beer drinking female.
Posted by: heather | February 24, 2010 10:45 PM
Yoi Tanabe is a Los Angeles based model you may have seen on NBC's Deal or No Deal. She also suffers from Asian flush, a condition affecting roughly half of all Asian drinkers that turns her face and neck beet red after just a sip of alcohol.
Ms. Tanabe joined a group of young people to test a new functional shot/mixer that helps prevent morning after headache, nausea, muscle pain and other 'hangover' effects by helping the body to naturally process alcohol toxicity.
Watch as Yoi and her friends enjoy a night of partying in the Hangover Capital of the World, and see the astounding results for yourself.
www.cheerzhangover.com/asianflush
Posted by: Samantha | February 25, 2010 6:36 AM
Mr. McGoon:
Your embarassing pun, whether intentional or not, really has no place in this blog's serious scientific discussion of the vicissitudes of the Asian genome.
I.M. Pei
Flushing, NY
Posted by: Urocentric | February 25, 2010 7:00 AM