Asians have a higher chance of having instant hangover effects when drinking

Parent Cafe
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<p>(Crossposted from another CC forum cuz I thought soliciting parents’ life experiences would be scientifically valuable. ;)) </p>

<p>I haven’t confirmed whether I have the mutated gene(s) that cause(s) this, because I’ve never got tested nor have I “drunk” drunk. </p>

<p>I have however used cooking wine frequently, for meats and even for instant noodles, mainly to release the content of herbs. </p>

<p><a href=“For%20example,%20to%20release%20fresh%20herbs%20like%20mint%20or%20basil,%20you%20freeze%20the%20leaves%20overnight,%20crush%20them%20with%20pestle%20and%20mortar%20and%20thereby%20rupture%20the%20cell%20walls%20and%20central%20vacuoles.%20This%20exposes%20the%20cell%20membranes,%20so%20you%20take%20the%20mixture%20and%20soak%20it%20in%20hot%20olive%20oil,%20and%20the%20plant%20cells’%20lipid%20bilayers%20dissolve%20into%20the%20oil%20better%20than%20they%20do%20in%20water%20%5Bfor%20obvious%20chemistry%20reasons%5D.%20Cooking%20spirits%20bring%20the%20rest%20of%20the%20cell%20contents%20into%20solution.%20You%20can%20get%20a%20very%20potent%20herbal%20mixture%20this%20way.%20But%20I%20digress.”>size=1</a>[/size]</p>

<p>Anyway, apparently two thirds of Asians have mutated alles for their alcohol dehydrogenase gene that instantly converts alcohol to acetaldehyde, the chemical that causes hangovers. Half of this population have mutated alleles that inhibit the step in the pathway from acetaldehyde. The result is the instant accumulation of the chemical and thus they start to get instant hangover effects when they are drinking. </p>

<p>I began to suspect something because 1) I tried drinking beer when I was much younger and found it much to my distaste 2) even smelling cooking wine makes me sick 3) a few days ago I put too much cooking wine [and this is mild stuff, mind you] into the herbal mixture because I forgot I could simply dilute it to allow the solution level to cover the herbs 4) I thought “aww, what the heck” and put it into my noodles anyway. 5) For the first time, I felt slightly ill from eating instant noodles. Now granted, it was three packets of instant noodles, but up until that point, I never had migraine-effects from eating.</p>

<p>And I haven’t even tried going to a tailgating party yet. Like, not a single red cup and I get headaches if I even consume tiny amounts (50 to 150 mL) of alcohol. I don’t know if this is equivalent to a hangover though.</p>

<p>So, for those Asians out there: </p>

<p>1) Do a large amount of you find drinking unenjoyable, or enjoy it less than your non-Asian friends
2) Have you ever suspected something was amiss with your alcohol tolerance
3) Have you ever been tested for these mutations?</p>

<p>kthxbai!</p>

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<p>From Wikipedia:

</p>

<p>I’ve never heard of a kid liking the taste of beer. It’s somewhat of an acquired taste.</p>

<p>In my experience (i.e. me and most people I know), dehydration is the #1 cause of hangovers. Most people I know don’t get hangovers if they drink a bottle of water before bed.</p>

<p>I should mention that I’m not Asian. Looking at my friends, I don’t really see a connection between being Asian and liking/not liking alcohol. Asians are of course known for their “Asian glow” while drinking. I think tolerance does vary somewhat with race, but it definitely varies by weight. Smaller, lighter Asians will tend to have lower alcohol tolerance because of weight if nothing else.</p>

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<p>“I’ve never heard of a kid liking the taste of beer. It’s somewhat of an acquired taste.”
technically, im a kid. and i LOVE the taste of beer.</p>

<p>also, corranged, you are correct that dehydration is the main cause of hangovers. but tests have shown that coconut water is actually much better to drink before drinking to prevent a hangover.</p>

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<p>I know Asians are missing an enzyme that help them with the beer…</p>

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<p>Its probably a mutation that affects a population frequently. Human genes aren’t like bacteria’s - it’s hard to snip ao entire gene away cleanly, even through mutation. Note the critical thing for instant headaches while drinking is an overactive enzyme on one hand and and underactive one on the other.</p>