Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic basis for partial protection against alcoholism in Asians, heterozygous for the variant ALDH2*2 gene allele

Abstract

These results indicate that acetaldehyde, rather than ethanol or acetate, is primarily responsible for the observed alcohol sensitivity reactions and suggest that substantially lower accumulation of blood acetaldehyde in the heterozygotes significantly reduces the aversion reaction to low amounts of alcohol that permits other biological as well as environmental factors to facilitate drinking and the according risk for the disease.