Correlation between human erythrocyte aldehyde dehydrogenase activity and sensitivity to alcohol.

Young healthy Japanese men were given 0.48 g ethanol/kg body weight orally. Those responding with a marked increase in heart rate after alcohol also exhibited facial flushing and had higher acetaldehyde levels than those not responding, in spite of similar blood alcohol levels. The activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase in erythrocytes was found to correlate significantly (r=-0.73, p < 0.01) with the increase in heart rate after alcohol drinking. It is suggested that erythrocyte aldehyde dehydrogenase activity affects or reflects blood acetaldehyde levels and physiological response to alcohol, and may prove useful as a marker for alcohol sensitivity in Orientals.