If You Turn Red From Drinking Alcohol, Here’s Why You Must STOP Drinking Immediately

Many Asians often turn red even after taking just a sip of alcohol, and there’s an actual name for that.

It’s called the “Asian flush” or “Asian glow”, and this is why it happens.

When alcohol is consumed, it enters the liver and changes into acetaldehyde, which is a carcinogen.

In order to metabolize this carcinogen, the liver produces aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH), an enzyme that can break it down.

Many Asians, however, genetically lack this enzyme, so the carcinogen remains in the body for a very long time.

“There aren’t that many Asians who have this ALDH enzyme. Women in particular have even less.”

— Dr. Yang Jae Woong

As acetaldehyde runs through the veins, they expand, making the skin look very red and speeding up the heart rate.

“This acetaldehyde doesn’t get broken down and continues to travel around in your blood.

It’s cancerous, so it expands your veins and makes you look red.”

— Dr. Yang Jae Woong

Since it’s a carcinogen, it’s both cancerous and poisonous, so doctors recommend those who get Asian flush not to drink.

“Those who are red [after drinking] means there are a lot of this cancerous substance traveling around in their body.”

— Dr. Yang Jae Woong

To combat the Asian flush, some people take antihistamines like Zantac or Pepcid AC that help prevent it getting too red…

…whereas one company has even created a “kale vodka” that allegedly helps minimize the Asian glow!

At the end of the day, the most important thing is to drink responsibly, so be careful if you get the Asian flush!

Source: Dispatch