Why does my face turn red when I drink alcohol

Many people blush when they drink, which is often interpreted as such people being easier to get along with and being red-faced men. In fact, this has no scientific basis. Instead, it should arouse certain vigilance. Blushing after drinking alcohol indicates that the liver's metabolic capacity is relatively poor and the body lacks an enzyme. The lack of this enzyme may lead to poor alcohol metabolism in the liver, which can cause great damage to the liver. Therefore, such people should try to drink less alcohol.

Why does my face turn red when I drink alcohol?

First, let us understand that the decomposition process of the human body after drinking alcohol is as follows: alcohol is first catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase to become acetaldehyde; then, acetaldehyde is converted into acetic acid under the action of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase; then, acetic acid participates in multiple metabolic pathways in the body, and finally obtains carbon dioxide and water, which are excreted from the body.

1. Blushing when drinking alcohol is caused by excessive acetaldehyde

Acetaldehyde has the function of dilating capillaries. After drinking, acetaldehyde dilates the capillaries on the face, so the blushing phenomenon occurs. This phenomenon is called "alcohol flush" in medicine. People who blush after drinking can quickly convert ethanol into acetaldehyde, which means that they have highly efficient alcohol dehydrogenase, so a large amount of acetaldehyde will accumulate in the body, causing blood vessels to dilate and causing a blushing reaction.

2. Excessive acetaldehyde leads to a lack of an enzyme

People who blush after drinking alcohol only have highly efficient alcohol dehydrogenase, but lack another enzyme - acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. The acetaldehyde that rapidly accumulates in the body cannot be metabolized for a long time, so they appear to have a face like Guan Gong. In this case, we can only hope that the P450 (a group of oxidases with relatively low specificity) in the liver will slowly metabolize the ingested alcohol.

Therefore, for drinkers who blush after drinking, it is not because the alcohol has evaporated, but because the alcohol cannot be metabolized!

3. The more you drink, the whiter your face becomes. You are lacking both enzymes.

So, people who blush when drinking alcohol are lacking an enzyme, and those who don’t blush when drinking alcohol should be lacking nothing, right? The answer is exactly the opposite. People whose faces become paler the more they drink often lack both enzymes. It is actually the most tragic for people who lack both enzymes, because they can only rely on the liver to slowly break down substances. Such people are the least clear about their bottom line, are most likely to get drunk, and their livers are most likely to be damaged.

Since there are physiques that lack enzymes, there are naturally physiques that have high levels of both enzymes in the body. This type of person is the legendary wine barrel. The levels of both enzymes in the bodies of these people are extremely high. The alcohol in the body can be quickly metabolized into sweat and heat and excreted. Therefore, when they drink, they will sweat due to the high fever. If you meet such a person at the table, it is better to call him brother and stop drinking.