'Asian glow' gene linked to progression of Alzheimer's, new study says
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The gene responsible for “Asian glow,” a condition in which a person's face flushes red after drinking alcohol, has been linked to a faster progression of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study released this month by researchers at Stanford.
Individuals who have a defective version of an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol can experience an increased buildup of toxins, which can lead to cell damage and has been linked to accelerated development of Alzheimer's, the researchers found.
The body converts alcohol into a toxin that can damage DNA before processing it into an energy source . But approximately 560 million individuals of East Asian descent carry a mutated version of the enzyme that’s ineffective at breaking down that toxin. The defective gene is also associated with higher incidences of esophageal cancer, heart attacks and osteoporosis .
Findings from the study, published last Thursday in the journal Acta Neuropathologica Communications, suggest that alcohol increases injury to brain cells, accelerates signs of Alzheimer's in animals and increases cell damage in patients with the disease.
“The science means that it is a bad idea if you have this mutation and have a family history of Alzheimer’s disease to drink excessively,” Daria Mochly-Rosen, senior author of the study and a professor of chemical and systems biology at Stanford, said.
Researchers studied genetically engineered mice with the mutated gene and injected them with an amount of alcohol equivalent to about two drinks per day in humans every day for 11 weeks. They also examined cell cultures from individuals with Alzheimer's disease.
In both cases, they found that the mice and cell cultures with the mutated gene had more free radicals, which form toxic compounds, according to a news release from Stanford Medicine. The body normally eliminates those compounds, but when they accumulate in people who have the defective gene, they damage structures in cells containing the enzyme responsible for getting rid of them.
Mochly-Rosen said it's the damage of these structures that is linked to an accelerated progression of Alzheimer's.
Authors of the study also found that a drug can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's by correcting the defective gene, Mochly-Rosen added.
Dr. Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, who was not involved with the study, said the new research may shed light on the complex relationship between alcohol consumption and cognitive aging. He noted, however, that while findings of a potential treatment for the mutated gene are exciting, caution needs to be expressed since the study involved mice and cultured cells.
“Given the frequency of this mutation, approximately 8 percent of the population , and its frequency in the Eastern Asian population, it is important to understand potential mechanisms,” Petersen said in an email. “Larger scale epidemiological studies supporting the role of the mutation more widely would lend enthusiasm for pursuing human clinical trials in the future.”
About 50 million people worldwide live with dementia — a group of diseases and conditions characterized by memory loss that includes Alzheimer's — and that number is expected to nearly triple by 2050, according to the World Health Organization .
In the United States, up to 5 million people have the disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the country.
Mochly-Rosen said she hopes the published findings will trigger a potential clinical study that will look into changing the recommendation of alcohol use in people who have Alzheimer's.
“If we show in a clinical study that indeed there is an acceleration of the disease, then if someone has symptoms of the disease or a family member with it, their physician will be in a position to recommend not drinking alcohol,” she said. “Human studies are needed before making this recommendation.”
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Well here's your problem! You're drinking beer from a wine glass! Probably already have Alzheimer's.
LMAO! Good one Tacos!
Maybe-- maybe not... maybe they're just more knowledgeable about beer than we are:
Well here's your problem! You're drinking beer from a wine glass!
Very perceptive Tacos!
The Importance of Beer Glasses
As a beer geek, I tend to spend the vast majority of my time focusing on the beer in my glass. Recently, though, I started wondering about the beer glasses themselves—most specifically why there are so many different shapes and styles, and what each of those styles is supposedly best suited for.
Sure, I knew that certain shaped glasses are best for certain styles of beer (just as there are specific wine glasses for Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, etc.), but I didn’t know specifically what, say, a tulip glass does that a chalice doesn’t. Or exactly why Pilsners require tall skinny glasses and IPAs don’t.
The bottom line is that we spend a lot of time considering what we want to drink—and most of us are aware of the role that optimal temperatures play in maximizing our enjoyment—but we’re not generally aware of how the proper glassware can also be a major component in bringing out our beer’s most desirable attributes (Cont'd HERE)
Note the glass on the far right . . .
Stemware is not allowed in our house. My better half is paranoid about them getting knocked over and broken. Although, that one doesn't look too tall. Might be alright.
I hereby volunteer to be part of any beer drinking study (they won't even have to pay me).
The sacrifices I won't make in the name of science.
Good to know. I didn't want to be the only one here volunteering.
When do we start? I have been in training
My face always flushes when I drink wine. I had a friend who dated an Asian guy and he always said he couldnt have more than one drink because of the flush. I saw the proof of that NYE at my house 1999. He turned beet red after 2 drinks!
Same Q I asked kathleen...any Indian ancestors?
What does being Indian have to do with this Krish?
Maybe... nothing. I don't know.
I've always been fascinated by genetics, but its a topic I really don't know much about it..(For example, I've heard that the first human was born somewhere in Africa and that the rest of humanity involved from their offspring.But I have no idea whether or not that's true).
This article seemed interested so I googled it. Mutations happen, but unless they have a positive value (allowing people to adapt to negative things, for example diseases) they tend to die out or are extremely rare
It seems the current theory about this one is that it developed amongst Han Chinese rice farmers. It probably persisted because it had a positive effecL
It most likely originated among Han Chinese in central China. [14] Another analysis correlates the rise and spread of rice cultivation in Southern China with the spread of the allele. [5]
The reasons for this positive selection are not known, but it has been hypothesized that elevated concentrations of acetaldehyde may have conferred protection against certain parasitic infections, such as Entamoeba histolytica . [15]
(Rice farmers walking being exposed to Amoebas in the water in Rice paddies).
(cont'd in next comment)
Not surprisingly, not all Asians have this trait:
30% to 50% of people of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean ancestry have at least one ALDH2*2 allele.
The rs671 form of ALDH2, which accounts for most incidents of alcohol flush reaction worldwide, is native to East Asia and most common in southeastern China.
Another genetic theory I've heard (and have no idea whether or not its true) is that American Indians' distant ancestors originated in Asia and migrated across thee Bering Strait into the Western Hemisphere.So I was wondering if this trsait is more prevalent in people of Indian asncestry (whether, if descended frompeoples who were originally from Asia, American Indians inherited this trait).
Finally, I've known that a lot of Americans who are considered "Whiter" have some Indian ancestry. So being curious, I decided to pose the question to people here.
(Of couirse their answers would not constitute Scientific proof-- but might be interesting)
One theory is that American Indians originally came from Siberia.
I don't drink so for me it doesn't exist. Of all the Indians that I know and am related to I don't ever remember of seeing such a thing with them.
I did see it quite a bit in China/Korea/Taiwan and Japan when I was doing business there.
Some Indian tribes consume a lot of rice. The Ojibwe for example and we consider it a basic food for us. The difference being that it's wild rice which is unlike any of the other rice's. In fact it isn't a rice at all but a grass.
We call it the food that grows on water or Manoomin.
One theory is that American Indians originally came from Siberia.
I've heard that theory but apparently it hasn't yet been proven or disproven(?)
I think the Asian flush comes from eating regular Rice in China. I'm not sure, but I believe these Rice Paddies have standing water. In addition, people spend a lot of time barefoot in that water (?). Apparentty this make for a good breeding ground for a type of Amoeba that causes the problem when ingested.
However I believe Wild Rice grows mainly in moving water. Also harvested mainly from a boat? Therefore perhaps is less like to be a place where these Amoebas flourish?
I've always liked Wild Rice and recently have almost stopped eating regular or Brown Rice altogether. Its healthier and I like the taste.
It is still a theory but there are some strong evidence that it's possible. There is also strong evidence that people from other areas are the decedents of the American Indian.
Wild rice grows mostly in lakes although it also grows in rivers and it is harvested from a canoe.
Are you buying your wild rice from a store? If that is the case then it isn't real wild rice. You can purchase the real deal from Ojibwe Indians in northern Minnesota who actually harvest the wild rice from the lakes and rivers and it is harvested by hand our of a canoe and processed in the age old way of the Ojibwe. We also sell what we call ''patty wild rice'' wild rice actually grown in prepared patties by the Ojibwe. It's much less expensive than real wild rice. I only eat the wild rice harvested by either the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe or the White Earth band.
Side note: I harvested wild rice in a canoe for years when I was much younger as part of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe.
Not that I'm aware of. English and Irish on my dads side and Czech on my moms.
I found this aspect of it to be fascinating-- a lot of implications in understandingfor how Evolution evolves on the planet:
The rs671 form of ALDH2, which accounts for most incidents of alcohol flush reaction worldwide, is native to East Asia and most common in southeastern China. It most likely originated among Han Chinese in central China. [14] Another analysis correlates the rise and spread of rice cultivation in Southern China with the spread of the allele.
Which actually makes perfect sense....fascinating!