In this study, the causal effect of alcohol intake on hypertension in 2,011 men and women from the Ansan-Ansung cohort was estimated using an instrumental variable (IV) approach, with both a phenotypic and genotypic instrument for alcohol intake: alcohol flushing and the rs671 genotype (in the alcohol dehydrogenase 2 [ALDH2] gene), respectively.
Mr. Cook's and Dr. Wall's paper adds another dimension to this article by presenting research on both the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH2) genetic variants and their association with the alcohol-related flushing response that is prevalent in Asian populations.
Japanese alcoholic men with (n = 65) and without (n = 206) esophageal squamous cell carcinomas, excluding those with liver cirrhosis, were assessed for MCV within 7 days of their last drink, alone or in combination with findings from either the alcohol flushing questionnaire or genotyping to identify inactive aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2*1/2*2) and the less-active form of alcohol dehydrogenase-2 (ADH2*1/2*1), which pose risks for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Inactive ALDH2 encoded by ALDH2*1/2*2 and the low-activity form of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)-2 encoded by ADH2*1/2*1 enhance the risk for esophageal cancer in Japanese light to heavy drinkers, a significant association that emphasizes the importance of screening tests for inactive ALDH2 based on alcohol flushing.
We measured the alcohol elimination rates and intensity of flushing in Chinese subjects in whom the alcohol dehydrogenase ADH2 and ALDH2 genotypes were determined.
North and South American Indian populations differ in phenotypes for alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, but systematic studies comparing degree of flushing, alcohol elimination rates and blood acetaldehyde levels in these populations are lacking.