it can make them feel more confident and comfortable

大多數的人總會感到有自信與更放鬆

But for me, drinking makes me feel less confident and uncomfortable

但是對我來說，喝酒完全不是這麼一回事

That's because thanks to my DNA...

這都要歸功於我的 DNA

alcohol makes my skin turn red

酒精會讓我臉紅

It's called the Asian Flush

這種現象被稱為「東方潮紅」

And it affects about 36% of North East Asians with higher rates among Asian Americans.

有大約 36% 的東北亞洲人深受其苦，而這現象在亞裔美國人中更常見

I guess we should probably show you what it looks like

我想我直接來示範給你們看好了

"For Science!"

敬實驗精神！

"If I know that I'm gonna need to take pictures that I'll drink less until these pictures are over

「每當我得拍照時我一定會喝比較少的酒

and then I'll go back to normal pace"

直到拍完照之後我再回到我正常的喝酒速度」

People tend to assume that a red face means that we're drunk

人們總認為當你喝酒臉紅就代表你醉了

but that's a myth

但是這一點事實根據都沒有

These are completely separate processes

臉紅與酒醉其實沒有什麼關聯

Facial flushing whether from embarrassment, or exercise, or alcohol...

不論臉紅是因著尷尬、運動或是酒精

It happens when the blood vessels under the surface of the skin dilate.

它是因為我們肌膚下的血管擴張而造成的反應

And in the case of Asian flush, this is part of an immune response

而「東方潮紅」則是免疫系統在作祟

The body is detecting a threat

我們的身體感受到了威脅

The threat isn't the alcohol itself

而這份威脅並非酒精本身

but a substance that our livers produce while breaking down alcohol

而是來自於肝釋出了一種能夠分解酒精的物質

"For me at least, the warmth starts in my chest and then it moves its way up."

「我會感受到一股暖流從我的胸口向上蔓延。」

"My cheeks are warm, my ears are warm..."

「我的臉變熱了，我的耳朵也變熱了...」

"It's weird. It's like my eyes are almost puffy"

「這種感覺很奇怪，像是我的眼睛會腫起來。」

"Ahh I do feel like they got puffy..."

「啊！我也會感到雙眼腫脹...」

When people drink ethanol, that's the chemical name for booze.

當人們攝取乙醇，這是酒精的化學學名

The liver gets rid of it using two main enzymes.

肝會透過兩種「酶」來排掉酒精

The first reacts with the ethanol molecule to produce a substance called acetaldehyde.

第一種酶會和乙醇分子產生化學反應，進而生成「乙醛」

And the second quickly turns acetaldehyde into acetate, which is similar to vinegar and easy for the body to eliminate.

而第二種酶此時會快速地將乙醛變成乙酸酯，乙酸酯的功能和醋很相似，可以輕易地從人體排出

It's that second enzyme that really screws things up for people with Asian flush.

而惹人厭的「東方潮紅」便是於第二種酶作用時伴隨而來的反應

If you look inside our DNA

看看我們的 DNA

you'll find that the gene providing the instructions for that enzyme

你會發現本該和第二種酶合作的基因

was tweaked at some point in our history

在某段演化的進程中就這麼改變了

And that gene mutation produces an inactive enzyme

而這基因在變種之後所生成的酶變得不活躍

So when we drink our bodies accumulate acetaldehyde

所以當我們在喝酒時，我們身體裡所累積的乙醇

at a level about 6 times higher than normal people

比般人的正常值還要高出六倍

If acetaldehyde sounds familiar that maybe because it's similar to formaldehyde

你可能覺得乙醇似曾相識，那是因為他和甲醛一樣

It's toxic

它有毒

That's why it triggers the immune responds

這就是為什麼我們的免疫系統會產生反應

And the red face is really the least of it

而臉紅其實還不算什麼

After having that one beer

只不過是喝了一杯啤酒

I didn't feel tipsy at all, but my heart rate doubled

儘管我一點都不覺得暈，我的心跳加速了

My eyes were bloodshot, and within half hour I had a headache

我的眼睛脹紅，而不到一個小時我會頭痛

Even worse, acetaldehyde can cause cancer

更慘的是，乙醛會導致癌症

It's a problem because people can actually develop a tolerance to Asian flush

麻煩的是人們可以逐漸地適應東方潮紅所帶來的不適

and that allows them to drink pretty heavily

而這也導致他們喝得更多

Studies have shown that heavy drinking raises the risk of esophageal cancer for everyone

根據研究顯示，酗酒會提高罹患食道癌的風險

but especially for people with Asian flush

尤其是有著「東方潮紅」的人

So it's potentially problematic that alcohol consumption in Asia has been increasing

所以亞洲人喝酒比例的上升隱含著淺在的風險

especially in China

特別是在中國

So if you have an Asian flush, be careful

所以如果你有「東方潮紅」，你要小心

Your body is freaking out for a reason

你的身體其實是在發出警訊

And if you don't flush...just don't expect us to keep up with you

但是如果你沒有這個問題...那麽，別太常揪我們去喝酒

And also...

還有啊...

"You don't have to bring it up every time...like, yes I know that you're red..."

「你其實不需要每次都提到我喝酒會臉紅.......」

"I know this, thanks, awesome..."

「我自己知道...謝啦...」