Is Rice Domestication to Blame for Asian Flush?

The following is an except from ScienceNOW Daily News:

‘If your face turns red after drinking just one glass of wine, blame ancient Chinese farmers. Researchers are reporting that the “Asian Flush” mutation cropped up just as rice was first being domesticated, and it may have protected early farmers from the harms of drinking too much. But some other scientists urge caution, saying that the dates may not match up’

read the entire article here:

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2010/120/3

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