Acetaldehyde the Cause of Hangovers Asian Flush Cancer



People who lack the normal gene for an enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), tend to experience hangovers after drinking, according to a Japanese study published in the July issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

ALDH is a key enzyme for the elimination of alcohol-derived acetaldehyde, which is a toxic compound. If the enzyme is abnormal, people can experience cardiovascular complications, drowsiness, nausea, asthma and facial flushing, known as Asian flush.

For the study, Masako Yokoyama and Hiromasa Ishii at the Mitsukoshi Health and Welfare Foundation in Tokyo surveyed drinking experiences of 251 Japanese men and women and analyzed their DNA for the ALDH gene.

The researchers found that people with the inactive enzyme called ALDH2 were greatly susceptible to hangovers.

In Japan, as many as 45 percent of people who have a mutant allele called ALDH2*2 have inactive ALDH2, which sometimes prevents them from heavy drinking because of the unpleasant consequences.

However, not all heavy drinkers have the right gene and enzyme to detoxify acetaldehyde. "Twenty six percent of heavy drinkers among urban working men and 12 percent of alcoholics in Japan have inactive heterozygous ALDH2," said Dr. Yokoyama.

According to Drs. Yokoyama and Ishii, this study's findings indicates that hyper-acetaldehydemia plays a role in the development of hangovers, reconfirming the more general role that alcohol-induced acetaldehyde plays in the damage of living human cells. The results also suggest that future research should focus on acetaldehyde rather than its precursor alcohol for the damaging effect of alcohol drinking.

This on the heels of a new study by scientists from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) that found polyamines - natural compounds essential for cell growth - react with acetaldehyde to trigger a series of reactions that damage DNA, an event that can lead to the formation of cancer. Many studies have shown that certain genetic variants that affect alcohol and acetaldehyde metabolism can also affect individual susceptibility to alcohol-related cancer.

Cheerz Anti Hangover is a safe nutrition supplement that has been clinically proven to combat hangovers before they start by naturally supporting the body's ability to process acetaldehyde. One night's supply of eight 'little purple pills' costs about $4. For more information visit www.CheerzHangover.com.

"We've been trumpeting this (acetaldehyde's deleterious effects) for some time now," according to Patrick Cochrane, CEO of Dynamarketing Group, the product's maker and sole supplier. "Yet a surprising number of people including the media and health care professionals still cling to the old wives' tale that hangovers are the Incurable Deterrent. Frankly, it's starting to get a little boring skating this far ahead of the puck, but the best innovations always take time to gain acceptance," he says.

From a review titled The Best Hangover Cure in the January 2005 issue of Jane Magazine: "Each drink produces acetaldehyde buildup in your body (the chemical that makes you feel like you've gone 10 rounds with Muhammad Ali), but Cheerz flushes it out. You'll still get drunk, but you won't feel like crap the next day. At least six other friends swear by it."

Contact: Dynamarketing Group Inc., 858-812-2834





Acetaldehyde the Cause of Hangovers Asian Flush Cancer