The flushing response is the result of a genetic quirk. Stanford scientists published a paper on Jan. 25 in the journal Science Translation Medicine that found that those with the flushing gene variant might have a higher risk of heart disease. Specifically, the variant causes blood vessel inflammation in response to alcohol consumption. This just adds to the body of evidence that drinking is actually horrible for people with the alcohol flushing variant. “We realize it is very difficult for people to abstain from alcohol completely for a variety of reasons,” Wu said.
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