When Asians want to party, they know there could be a snag. They could be struck by — what’s affectionately called — the Asian flush.
Approximately 50 percent of people with Chinese, Korean and Japanese ancestry experience alcohol flush reaction while drinking because of an inherited genetic mutation. As a result, their bodies are deficient in a key enzyme needed to break down alcohol. A sip or two of the hard stuff can be all that it takes to trigger a warm, red rash across the face, chest, and arms. Because this alcohol-included glow can be inconvenient, uncomfortable, and maybe even a bit embarrassing, Singaporean entrepreneurs Solomon Poon and Ryan Foo saw an opportunity to create a remedy.
They’ve launched DrinkAid, a supplement they claim will keep the dreaded flush away if taken a couple of hours before the boozing begins. While Poon and Foo are not the first to try and tackle this side effect, Poon says that sufferers often turn to products that aren’t designed to treat it. “One of the famous solutions is a medication called Pepcid, a histamine blocker,” says Poon. The histamine blocker may slow skin redness, but sufferers generally still experience the other symptoms of the condition, such as headaches, nausea, or rapid heartbeat.
