Asian Flush May Signal Cancer Risk?

The NYTime ran this Asian Flush related article in March 2009:

“Drinkers’ Red Face May Signal Cancer Risk”

‘People whose faces turn red when they drink alcohol may be facing more than embarrassment. The flushing may indicate an increased risk for a deadly throat cancer, researchers report. The flushing response, which may be accompanied by nausea and a rapid heartbeat, is caused mainly by an inherited deficiency in an enzyme called ALDH2, a trait shared by more than a third of people of East Asian ancestry — Japanese, Chinese or Koreans. As little as half a bottle of beer can trigger the reaction.’

To read the full Asian Flush article please visit:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/health/research/21alcohol.html