Answer:
Red face and eyes after drinking alcohol are signs that the body cannot metabolize all the alcohol consumed. Initially, when alcohol enters the body, it will be converted into acetaldehyde (a toxic substance that harms most organs of the body). Then, enzymes in the liver will continue to convert acetaldehyde into less toxic acetate, and the final result of the metabolism is energy and CO2.
Some people have a deficiency in liver enzymes, causing a lot of acetaldehyde to accumulate, leading to red face and eyes when drinking alcohol, which is common in people with sensitive bodies. According to current statistics, at least 540 million people worldwide lack these enzymes, of which more than 80% are of Asian descent, so red face and eyes when drinking alcohol is also known as Asian Flush.
Hypertension
According to a study by Chungnam National University (Korea) on 1,700 people, the rate of hypertension in the group of people who blushed when drinking alcohol was 2.27 times higher than in the group of people who did not blush when drinking alcohol. In addition, high blood pressure due to drinking alcohol will increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack, stroke, etc.
Esophageal cancer
Many studies have shown that alcohol is a risk factor for esophageal cancer and the risk is higher in people who drink more alcohol. In particular, the risk of people who blush when drinking alcohol is much higher.
A series of studies in Japan have shown that people who blush when drinking alcohol have a gene that lacks liver enzymes that metabolize alcohol and have a 6-10 times higher risk of esophageal cancer than people with a normally functioning enzyme system. Notably, studies show that drinking the equivalent of 330g of alcohol per week increases the risk of esophageal cancer by 89 times compared to people who do not drink.
Therefore, frequent blushing when drinking alcohol is a sign that you are at higher risk of esophageal cancer than normal people.
Liver disease
People who blush when drinking alcohol or beer will have a higher risk of liver disease than those who do not blush. Some common warning signs such as: jaundice, yellow eyes, right hypochondriac pain, nausea, swollen joints, aches, abdominal pain, fatigue, etc. are very likely to signal liver diseases such as chronic cirrhosis, hepatitis B. When there is one or more of the above symptoms, we need to go to reputable facilities for examination and monitoring.
In addition, consuming a lot of alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine also increases the risk of some diseases: poisoning, damage to the nervous system, reduced alertness, memory loss, cognitive disorders...
Red face due to alcohol is a warning sign that the body is having problems with metabolism. On the other hand, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), "alcohol is the direct cause of more than 30 non-communicable diseases and nearly 200 other diseases, causing death for more than 5% of the population worldwide". Therefore, take action today in some ways such as: minimizing alcohol at parties, setting yourself a limit or stopping immediately when your face starts to turn red,... that is the best way to help protect your health.