Asian Glow' Gene Linked to Progression of Alzheimer's, New Study Says

A Stanford University study in Acta Neuropathologica Communications has associated the gene responsible for "Asian glow" — a condition in which a person's face flushes red after drinking alcohol — with faster Alzheimer's disease progression, reports NBC News . Persons who carry a defective variant of an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol can experience an increased accumulation of toxins, which can damage cells and may accelerate Alzheimer's. About 560 million individuals of East Asian descent carry this mutant enzyme, which also is linked to higher incidences of esophageal cancer, heart attacks, and osteoporosis. The findings imply that alcohol boosts injury to brain cells, expedites Alzheimer's symptoms in animals, and compounds cell damage in Alzheimer's carriers. "The science means that it is a bad idea if you have this mutation and have a family history of Alzheimer's disease to drink excessively," noted Stanford Professor Daria Mochly-Rosen. She hopes this research will lead to a clinical study that investigates changing the recommendation of alcohol use in people with Alzheimer's.