Growing up, I would always laugh at my dad after he drank a beer or a glass of wine. He is Thai-Chinese and even one drink makes his face turn bright red. "You're red!" I'd say, pointing and laughing. It never stopped being funny.
Until the first time I drank alcohol. My face turned beet-red and felt feverishly hot. It wasn't funny at all.
I had unfortunately inherited my father's lack of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase, which helps metabolize alcohol in the liver. It's a genetic condition commonly found in people of East Asian descent, hence the name "Asian flush." With this condition — also called alcohol flush reaction — even as little as one drink can cause increased heart rate, headache, nausea and that telltale blush in the afflicted.
The good news is that our inability to metabolize alcohol is thought to lead to a decreased incidence of alcoholism, since it is hard to be a heavy drinker when two cocktails has you passed out on your barstool. The bad news is that this condition has been linked to a much higher risk of deadly esophageal cancer for those who drink alcohol despite the unpleasant effects, particularly for those who drink heavily.
I've learned to live with the condition. After ten years of moderate drinking, my face has stopped turning quite so crimson and hot at cocktail parties, which supports the claim that repeated exposure to alcohol eventually lessens the effects. (Some say taking heartburn medicine like Pepcid AC before a night of drinking also helps, but I've never tried this.) I still turn a little pink, but apparently it is no longer so noticeable that people feel the need to point and say, "You're so red!"
So should you find yourself drinking with an Asian friend who isn't so lucky, remember there's no need to tell her she is red. Her burning-hot face, pounding heart and creeping nausea have already told her everything she needs to know. She's red — so what?
Do you know anyone who experiences alcohol flush reaction? Any tips for managing it?
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I experience this too, although I'm not a bit Asian. I'm half German and half English/Irish/Scottish/etc. I turn red after a few swallows of alcohol. I have very pale skin, and I've always changed colors at the slightest provocation. I blush easily too, even when I don't feel that embarrassed. I took judo for a semester in college, and was always being told to tap out quickly because I was turning purple, but I felt like I was breathing just fine. It's slightly embarrassing at times, but I never thought I could do anything about it.
I'm also a non-Asian flusher (I inherited it from my English mother). I can hold my alcohol with the best of 'em, but I definitely can turn some interesting colors--face and sometimes my chest as well, in big attractive blotches. It's usually not a huge problem, but I did get a really awful sunburn once while drinking outside. The flushing made it more severe, as well as distracted me from the burn as it was developing ("What, that? No, I'm not getting a sunburn. I always turn that color when I drink.").
That is me, I have learned to live with it and just don't drink any alcohol! However, I can still cook with alcohol :)
yep, non-asian flusher here too. alcohol flush seems to settle in my chest/bosom, and i inherit that trait from my fully-italian mother; exercise or heat flush makes my face bright red, even if i'm not overheated, which is from my possibly english-scottish-or-welsh-but-definitely-not-irish father.
For years I've suffered from Asian Glow - after half a glass of wine I would look smashed. It was always so embarrassing. Then I discovered read a book where the main character takes a pepcid before a party. I've tried it and it does help. Xantec 75 works as well.
I've been having this happen for years, and I'm glad to find something that may be causing it. Like other commenters, I'm not Asian. I also don't have the reaction all the time, and I didn't have it when I first started drinking. I find that I have the reaction when I drink low-quality alcohol, and certain beers cause it. Luckily, I can mostly avoid those ones, but occasionally I'll get a surprise from a new drink.
I have discovered over the years that the flush is worse with citric based liquors. I never, ever drink Triple Sec, it feels like anaphylactic shock, altho Cointreau doesn't have this effect. I also noticed in Europe I never flushed even with Triple Sec infused Sangria. I was thinking citrus and sulfites were getting me. Luckily wine rarely does this, so I am happy!
My Irish sisters and I call it blotchy- we get it when we drink- usually red wine, and also when we're nervous. Lol- nice to know we're not the only ones
Pepsid AC totally works. And not that wikipedia is a reliable source, but here's one explanation of why it happens http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_flush_reaction. Personally, I find no correlation between redness and drunkeness, and when I'm no longer red, that usually means I drank waaaay too much. I've also found that having some food in my stomach helps reduce the redness.
My mom seems to have grown out of it in her 50's, so I guess that's good? And now that I'm a mom, it seems like it will be a good thing when my pre-schooler becomes a teenager.
I will have to try the antacid thing. I get the "Asian Flush" as well even though I'm just a white girl. :) And yes, repeated exposure seems to have lessened it. In college I would have the reddest cheeks in the dorm! haha
I'm also of European descent, and I've recently (over the past 10 years) developed this. I drank happily all through college and my 20's. In my 30's, alcohol started to make me look and feel like I had the world's worst sunburn. Now, I don't even bother trying to have a glass of wine, which I miss, but no wine tastes good enough to be worth that pain!
Just added Pepsid AC to my grocery list. Thank you GLTSOI and FANCYD for the tips!
Pale chick here (Irish/Scottish/English mutt mix) and I also get blotchy when I drink, especially red wine. I'm always a hit at happy hours because of how amusingly flushed my chin, neck, and chest become. The same thing happens when I exercise as well--hardly sweat but my face is a lovely shade of magenta.
Yes, I know someone who experiences alcohol flush reaction: my wife. How do I manage it? I laugh at her, and she laughs back. Then we continue living on. I did not know about the esophageal cancer thing, however, so thanks for the warning.
Wow it's interesting to see so many people not of Asian descent who get the flush! I'm half Asian and I thankfully did not inherit that gene, but I have friends who have it and I can see why it's a drag. Sometimes your whole body turns red! I would definitely feel self-conscious. But it does seem that for those who kept drinking over the years, they are definitely more tolerant and don't flush as much anymore.
Asian here - 100%. And yes, with the asian flush. it takes me about half a drink before i start feeling warm and i will look very red. people would tell me i have 'good circulation'.
i have noticed it being less severe now, but before it would feel i have a throbbing face, with chest and arms pink as well. i've learned to drink slow, with food and only in moderation; this seems to work for me so far.
Half Asian here and I get it sometimes, not all the time. I find if I stick to beer I'm usually ok. Mixing alcohols (even between brands of beer) and red wine do it to me for sure. Red wine is the worst for me as I get a rash as well. *sigh*
Not to be a stickler here, but Asians actually have an overactive (or constitutively active) alcohol dehydrogenase (AD). The thing is that alcohol is broken down in two steps. If you have an overactive AD, then you build up toxic amounts of the first byproduct before it can be broken down by the second enzyme. The toxic byproduct (aldehyde??) contributes to flushing and inflammation... basically an allergic reaction.
I also used to think "Asian glow" was caused by a lack of AD, until I went to a seminar in grad school where the researcher explained the process. Then everyone turned around to stare at me, being the one Asian girl in the department who turned beet red at happy hours. haha. BTW, Xantac works for me to a certain extent.
I'm an Asian girl myself and it's not so much the turning red as the intense headache, the nausea and incredibly fast and hard heart pounding that's awful. Lots of people above mentioned they get the flush, but that's not really the real unfortunate part about it. I can never drink very much because I will get really sick before I can get to the "happy drunk" state. Not to say I don't turn red. I definitely, definitely do. I wish that's all that happened, though.
I'm half Korean and turn bright red whenever I drink the slightest amount of alcohol (none of the other side effects though). While living in Hawaii I was taught by other Asians to take Tagamet an hour before going out. I usually take more then one with food and a soda and find that it reduces the redness. I'm game for giving Pepsid and Xantec a try..anything to not make me look like a beet when I'm out having fun.
White girl here who also suffers from the splotchiness and racing heartbeat. My hands and feet also get really itchy too! I find a bunch of things can make it worse: I stay away from liquors and stick to beer and wine mostly. Also, whether I'm in public or at home can make a big difference too! If I'm with a new group of people, half a glass of red wine can do it, but if I'm at home its generally not a problem. Weird!
I prefer to call it the Asian Glow and I've found that with time it gets better. When I first started drinking I would turn awful red, but now when I drink, I might turn a bit pink, but no longer that awful flush red. But I've also learned to spread out my drinking so I'm no longer doing six shots of tequila in a row. So that's probably helping out a bit too!
@Tiffax - you described my exact thoughts! I can deal with getting red, which alone is unfortunate, but the added side effects really makes drinking unenjoyable. People comment that they've never seen me drunk and trust me, it's not that I don't like to let loose but I can't deal with the pounding heart, headache and indigestion!
I have it too. Normally I only drink one or two glasses but sometimes you're at a party and drink a bit more. When I keep drinking my original color returns. It's not a suggestion for every day of the week though :-)
The best part about Asian Flush: it makes people who don't get it point and laugh. Every. Single. Time. Second best part? The moment you turn red, people think you are "trashed!"
Ah the Asian Flush, how I despise thee. I get it with the slightest hint of alcohol.
I'm half Japanese. I think I'll blame my mother's side for this too. I can probably blame my father's English/Irish roots for letting me blush easily to the point where my ears and chins join my cheeks in the race for the reddest. I also love the magenta color I turn when I work out (not even hard for that matter--sigh.) I even start blushing if I get hot or over heated cause of no air conditioner (or crappy air conditioner.) My eye doctor even asked me if I had roseacea but the regular doctor was unconcerned.
Hey at least I'll never need blush!
I went to grad school with many, many Asians, and being a student, lots of alcohol was quaffed. I first noticed the Asian Flush phenomenon when laying on my friend Ken's leg during a Met performance in Central Park, when his LEG turned bright red after a glass of wine. The good news is that it is an inducible gene-meaning, the more you drink, the more alcohol dehydrogenase you make. By the time Ken defended his thesis, he turned a slight salmon as opposed to a blinding firetruck red.
I've found that I react much more poorly if I am standing versus if I'm sitting. Is this true for anyone else, and does anyone have an explanation for why this might be?
I"m American Indian, and I get the same thing!
100% Scandinavian-American and I (and my mom) also get red flushed faces. I also get a lot of neck and shoulder tension if I drink too quickly or too much (although I can get past that if I keep drinking, but I don't like to). One weak drink sipped slowly is usually my limit. Wine isn't as bad. My mom also swears now by low- or no-sulfite wine, which does not give her any such symptoms.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets this way! I always felt like the odd girl out at parties and I've never been drunk (although there was that one night at home that my friends and I made too-strong cosmos and thought it would be good idea to chug them before making weaker ones - not drunk, but definitely a little tipsy, so that's how I know the neck ache goes away). Not drinking to get drunk though means that I choose my beverages for their taste, not their effects.
I'm Asian but luckily I don't have the Asian flush. My best friend, though, turns bright red every time she has the slightest hint of alcohol.
It's more annoying to her I think because of the constant attention it gathers. One time someone asked if she needed to go to the hospital because she was so red, but in reality she only had one glass of wine and was completely sober.
I'm half-Japanese and I get the flush very severely. My answer is to just not drink.
It blows me away that so many people affected by Asian flush still drink at all, considering the studies that prove that even LIGHT drinking by these individuals increases the likelihood of esophageal, stomach, throat and mouth cancer by 20 TIMES.
I'd bet money most of you look down on smokers too, huh? Sheesh.
Funny how Asian has come to connote East Asian even among we informed audiences.
Yes, I am Asian as well. But South Asian- I am Indian. And yes, I suffer from this as well, but for me it's a symptom of an allergy to suplhates in the alcohol.
This happens to me all the time too, not Asian though. :) Well none in the family line that I am aware of I should rather say.
Luckily I have never found anything I like to drink enough to try and get over this, but my friends always delighted in my reactions to any alcohol.
I always wondered how some Asians could drink and not turn red and now I know! I am among those who do get red, although it has gotten better over the years. I find I have to moderate how much I drink, take it very slow and sip a lot of water in between. My blotches are all over, but usually worst on my upper body - never on my legs. Luckily wine is not so bad - tequila the worst.
I think I'm going to take the hint from krstinaaaaah and take a break.
Please read about a medical condition called rosacea which includes flushing or redness of the face with alcohol consumption and exercising.
I wish I could predict when this will happen! I'm Norwegian and British, and have had this kind of reaction off and on all my life. Sometimes, it's barely noticeable. Once, I ended up in the emergency room because I also had trouble breathing and looked purple!
Water in between drinks helps. Think I'll try the pepcid trick too.
My boyfriend is Japanese and totally gets the flush. He's always so embarressed. He also gets drunk very quickly (one fruity drink and he's smashed) so he doesn't drink very much or very often. I'll suggest the Pepcid AC trick. The cancer risk is concerning, however. I'm going to show him this article.
I'm Korean. When I have one glass of wine or a pint of beer, I'm fine. But the trouble starts when I start having multiple drinks. My face doesn't turn completely, red but I do get the Asian Glow. Since reading the recent study on the link between the asian glow and spikes in cancer, I've stopped drinking. It's quite common for East Asians to have this condition, but I wonder if the jolly white guy who gets tinted red after downing several beers is suffering from the same symptoms due to a lack of enzymes?
I am Chinese and I never had any problems with this until after I gave birth to my son. Now when I drink alcohol (especially wine) my face burns and goes red hot and sometimes I even throw up as if I'm allergic to it. I wonder if Pepcid AC would work?
Pepcid is a type of antihistamine, so that's probably why it helps. My allergist gives it to me along with Benadryl for hives when my skin reacts to my allergy shots.
I hate the Asian flush! But just as bad is that my eyes get all bloodshot. Pepcid AC definitely helps though... when I remember to take it in advance of drinking! Luckily I drink only once or twice a month.
I've never heard of the Asian flush before today and I thought it was just me. I realized long ago that it wasn't an allergy because I usually can have a one or two drinks, but after a third or a fourth, I start feeling weird. So this is what that was. So cool!
Same thing here- so glad that other people experience this! I'm Native American and Mediterranean, but I have very fair skin. I turn colors extremely easily, turn bright red after a glass of wine, and pass-out-red after a simple run even though I feel fine. INteresting to have a name to it!
I am Japanese and get this if I have not tried the type of alcohol before or if I have not had it in a while. Recently, I had a beer after not drinking beer for a few months, and turned bright red! Asian flush/glow It's a very uncomfortable feeling. I notice my heart pounding very fast and I start to have trouble breathing.
I am Asian and get the flush. Its not just the cheeks that get red, but every part of my face. I can start to feel the buzz in less than half a beer. But yes, you can build up a tolerance to it as if you don't have it all.
I too am Irish/German and flush like crazy after drinking and exercise. But I take Nexium twice a day, if Tagamet works, why not Nexium?
I am Chinese background and I have always gone red in the face when I drink. I use to use the Pepcid as well but I found out it is not good for you to take it like this plus it can increase the effects of alcohol. Being small and Asian, already gives alcohol a strong enough effect! I have been using a product called AF Formula for about 2 1/2 months now and it works great. Its a natural product too which is like.
Me too, Irish/German and I have the same problem you described. I guess I've already tried most remedies you can get in the USA, and I can say the best solution for me is Noglo. Of course, it is not any cure on "Asian glow", but it really helps me. They have some testimonials on thier page http://gonoglo.com/testimonials/, or you can check it here http://echeng.com/asianblush/viewtopic.php?id=155
Something that really helps is if you don't eat while drinking. I know it sounds bad but food causes mine to take effect, if I don't eat when I'm drinking, no one would ever know.
Great article. Although you are experiencing less facial redness and heat, this is because your body's inflammation response is not as severe. However, you are still experiencing high accumulation of the compound that causes this as well as the increased risk of esophageal cancer. NoGlo is a new product that is designed to reduce acetaldehyde when drinking so that you feel better, become less red, and most importantly are being healthier about your alcohol consumption. NoGlo can be found at www.gonoglo.com.
Hello everyone, I am not of Asian decent but do turn bright red when I drink..... Yup after just one drink its pretty apparent. I have been searching for ways to "cure" this or let alone slow it down.. Has anyone heard of AF Formula? I cant seem to find any legit reviews (seems to be all marketing crap).
And here I thought I had some strange "disease!!" I'm not if Asian descent but when I have one too many (which is usually two!) I get flushed and my skins turns blotchy!!! The only way to resolve this is to NOT drink alcohol. I wonder if I'm allergic to specific alcohols because it doesn't happen all the time
And here I thought I had some strange "disease!!" I'm not of Asian descent but when I have one too many (which is usually two!) I get flushed and my skins turns blotchy!!! The only way to resolve this is to NOT drink alcohol. I wonder if I'm allergic to specific alcohols because it doesn't happen all the time
I will twelfth the Pepcid AC recommendation. Unfortunately I had to learn this from my little sister and totally missed knowing this through high school and college. I'll also let you know that it seems to decrease over time. My mom seems to have outgrown it. You might also monitor if there are any food/drink combinations that help.
Strangely, though, Asian sunburn is no indication of drunkeness in me. the real problems start happening when the flush has subsided. That means I've had waay to much to drink.
Like many of those that have already posted I'm not Asian, but when I drink I get a serious beet red flush that radiates heat, but only from my ears. Odd. My family gets a big kick out of this. Add to that the fact that I'm kind of jug eared, and it makes the amusement factor even better.
There are now supplements for this! I haven't tried them yet, so I can't speak from personal experience
http://gonoglo.com
Don't drink on an empty stomach - that's why I always serve nibbles with drinks. Avoid poor quality alcohol, as someone else mentioned. Cheap white wine is the worst, in my experience.
I am Asian and have this unpleasant reaction to alcohol. Sometimes it includes asthma-like breathing difficulties. I tried to acquire a tolerance but gave up after a few years. Alcohol doesn't taste good to me anyway, and I suspect this is due to an association I have built up with the physical discomfort. It's a shame, but thankfully there are other things to indulge in in life.
Far worse than any of this is being treated as a social pariah. Sometimes the pressure from others to drink alcohol, especially from people who are already drunk, can be unbearable.