You were able to participate in and enjoy every part of a night out on the town—the eating, drinking, and dancing—with the camaraderie（仲間意識）of friends. But, if you are like an estimated 50 percent of the Asians out there, somewhere in between the dinner and the dance floor, you were overcome with some weird, inexplicable（説明出来ない）sensations soon after the consumption of alcoholic drinks.
Let’s see if any of these persistent symptoms happen to you after you have had relatively small amounts to drink:
–Rosy or red face (color may affect the rest of the body too)
–Increased or rapid pulse（脈拍）
–Headaches (maybe a symptom of dehydration [脱水症] too)
–Difficulty maintaining balance
–Dizziness
–Nausea [吐き気] (always a bad sign)Now, if you are indeed cursed with the “Asian Flush,” as it is popularly called, chances are that you already know that you are cursed.
As drinking is a common activity in many social outings and after–work happy hour rituals, the cursed ones have been socially marginalized（過小評価される）. You’ve been called names, such as “lightweight,” “party pooper,” and “cheap date.” You cannot participate in ubiquitous drinking games and you watch the chugging（一気飲み）uninhibited contestants with equal parts of sheer amazement and deep envy. Those who are not cursed—the drinkers—do not understand or buy your excuse.
The Biology Behind the Red Face
The Asian Flush is a casual term that describes the body’s inability to break down alcohol. According to metabolism researcher John Tyburski, Ph.D, MPH, to properly process alcohol, the body undergoes a two–step process that involves two enzymes（酵素）: alcohol dehydrogenase, responsible for converting alcohol to acetaldehyde（アセトアルデヒド）, and aldehyde dehydrogenase（アルデヒド・デヒドロゲナーゼ）.
According to Dr. Tyburski, who earned his Ph.D in physiology（生理学）and cell biology（細胞生物学）, “aldehyde dehydrogenase, when functional, is responsible for converting acetaldehyde into acetic acid（酢酸）.” However, cursed individuals can only perform the first step because their aldehyde dehydrogenase does not work optimally（正しく）. The result is an accumulation of acetaldehyde, which is highly toxic（有毒な）.
Because it cannot be broken down, it builds up in the body and causes the flushing and eventually more serious effects, such as headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Another important factor that Dr. Tyburski points out: When drinking, beware of acetaminophen（アセトアミノフェン）, the active ingredient in some pain relievers（鎮痛剤）. “The result is the conversion of these drugs into harmful intermediates（媒介物）that can injure the liver,” he states. Thus, it is generally considered risky to take Tylenol（タイレノール：アメリカで市販されているアセトアミノフェン系解熱・鎮痛剤）after heavy drinking. This is true for all individuals, cursed or not.
The Asian Flush is a result of a genetic mutation（遺伝子の突然変異）(you are not only cursed, but you are a cursed mutant, too), which you have gotten from your mother, father or both. However, it does not mean that all your brothers and sisters would necessarily have it. Sometimes, only one member of the family has problems processing alcohol (aren’t you special?). Also, the symptoms vary in time, quantity, and severity from one person to another because every body processes alcohol differently. You may have a beet red face and heart palpitations after a full glass of beer, but your best friend may have a rosy face and headaches after only three sips. There is really nothing you can do to prevent these symptoms. Alcohol tolerance is genetic. There is no clinically proven, safe, or effective way to change how your body processes alcohol.
Scientists do not know why the Asian Flush phenomenon primarily（主に）affects Asians; however, they suggest that it contributes to the low incidence of alcoholism in Asian communities. So you may be cursed but you will never be an alcoholic, will probably not suffer from cirrhosis（肝硬変）or alcoholic hepatitis（アルコール性肝炎）, or go broke from buying alcohol. Lastly, although you can’t drink, it doesn’t mean you have to completely miss out on drinking lingo（専門用語）.
Always remember to listen to what your body is telling you. If you feel physically uncomfortable, stop drinking—it is for your own benefit, especially if you are cursed.
New America Media - Posted on Jul 01, 2006
