CORTISOL RESPONSES FOLLOWING PLACEBO AND ALCOHOL IN ASIANS WITH DIFFERENT ALDH2 GENOTYPES

Alcohol-induced flushing occurs in Asians who possess ALDH22 alleles. This study genotyped 30 Asian American men for ALDH2 and evaluated th em on two separate occasions where they received in random order place bo and 0.75 ml/kg alcohol. Blood samples were drawn at baseline and 15 , 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 minutes after beverage administration for su bsequent estimation of blood alcohol and plasma cortisol levels. Subje cts with ALDH22 alleles demonstrated significantly higher cortisol le vels after alcohol consumption than subjects with ALDH21/2*1 genotype , despite equivalent blood alcohol concentrations. One subject who was homozygous for ALDH22 had extraordinarily high cortisol levels at 90 , 120 and 150 minutes after alcohol. These data are consistent with th e hypothesis that Asians with ALDH22 alleles, who flush after drinkin g, experience more intense reactions to alcohol than nonflushing Asian s with ALDH21/2*1 genotype.