Why Indians are Alcoholics and Asians can’t Drink

When Asians don't hold their liquor as well it's probably because of their genes.

When Asians don’t hold their liquor very well it’s probably because of their genes.

A bit of a controversial post for some perhaps, but we’re gonna take a look at the genetic differences between human races in relation to alcohol. The idea came up when reading an article on Mayas (Indians in central America) and how they showed higher rates of alcoholism. Another good example are the native Australians, the Aboriginals. A teacher in university once said there is no such thing as different races. Well, tell that to the thousands of white runners following a few Kenyans in a marathon. Of course there are differences. And not all are as clear to see as a skin color or the shape of the eyes (not to mention other body parts). Let’s check out the racial differences where it comes to the use of alcohol.

So let’s start with the alcoholism part. How come native Americans and Aboriginals are in general more likely to get hooked on booze? It’s all because their bodies usually break down ethanol into water and acid way slower than the other races. Let’s first describe this process. When you drink alcoholic drinks the ethanol is metabolized (transformed) into something called acetaldehyde. This is being done by an enzyme in your body called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). So the more ADH your body produces, the faster the process. Apparently a lot of Native Americans miss out on this enzyme (according to analysis on chromosome 4 and 11) and that increases the risk of becoming alcoholic.

Unlike the American Indians the Chinese and Japanese produce a lot of ADH. 85% of their population produces unusual high activities of this enzyme. Where Caucasians score less than 21%, African Americans less than 10% and Native Americans as well as Asian Indians 0%. These numbers and further explanation can be found in the book Casarett & Doull’s Toxicology: The basic Science of Poison by Curtis D. Klaassen.

Now don’t jump to any conclusions that Asians are great drinkers. Because the metabolizing isn’t quite done yet. The acetaldehyde that originated after the first step still isn’t the acetic acid and water it’s supposed to be. This process is caused by another enzyme called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH 2). Now about half of the Chinese and Japanese (Koreans way less by the way) lack the normal amount of this second enzyme. The result is that in many cases the acetaldehyde builds up very fast when Asians start drinking. First of all because of the big amount of ADH and second because of the lack of ALDH 2. This is very unfortunate since acetaldehyde makes you way more sick than ethanol itself. This genetic disadvantage is the reason that a lot of Asians can’t hold their liquor. A clear sign of a high acetaldehyde-level is that the face turns extremely red.

Of course these are just generalizations. For sure there are plenty of small Asians that would outdrink any big guy and not every Indian is destined to become an alcoholic when he hits the booze. However this genetic differences between races should not be ignored. And of course it’s very interesting to find out why they are here. A common assumption that Native Americans lack a sufficient amount of ADH is that they weren’t exposed to alcohol until the Europeans introduced it. Just like the Aboriginals never tried it before Australia was discovered.

At least for the Indians in America this “alcohol evolution theory” seems off target. The Mayas drunk a corn drink called atole and balché, which is made out of honey. Aztecs had pulque, distracted from the agave plant and Incas also had their corn drink: chicha. All way before any European ever set foot on their continent. So this theory might work on the Native Americans in the United States or the Aboriginals, but definitely not everywhere.

There is still more research to be done about why the metabolism of certain races is different. And maybe even a solution can be found to optimize the alcohol related fun for everyone. I mean White people run the highest risk for skin cancer, while Blacks suffer most from prostate cancer and we’re looking for cures for that too right? So let’s not be racist and help the Indians and Asians too.

Micky Bumbar

Also check out why Jews in general drink very little alcohol.

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Other posts on LOTD you might like:

Acan and balche; alcohol in the ancient Mayan civilization

Alcohol in the Inca Empire; communicating with the gods through corn beer

Why alcohol can make women clingy and men unfaithful

Why smoking and drinking go so well together

Abstinent people more likely to die young than heavy drinkers

 

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in Science on Alcohol. Tags: Aboriginals, acetaldehyde, ADH, , Alcoholism, ALDH 2, Asians, Asians and alcohol, australia, Aztecs, china, Chinese, , ethanol, europeans, Inca's, Indians, Japan, Japanese, , Mayas, metabolism, Native Americans, races, racial differences, why Asians can't drink, why native americans have an alcohol problem

214 thoughts on “Why Indians are Alcoholics and Asians can’t Drink

  1. ahh … back in the day. Glad i foundt this site,got here out of curiousity and learned something.

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    • Thanks a lot. I’m glad you liked it. Also thanks for sharing your story.

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      • bullshit** and they are not called Aboriginals they are called Aborigines in Australia. In Canada, we call ourselves Indigenous, not Aboriginals anymore! get with the times. Skim read your offensive article, will read it later when I need a good laugh! How come molecular genetic researchers cant find a single gene for so called alcoholism gene in Indigenous peoples? Because there is none!

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  5. The differences between members of the same ‘race’ are larger than the differences between ‘races’. Adaptations to enivronment aren’t ‘races’, they’re localised adaptations. ‘Race’ is a construct with the intention of dividing humanity, it serves no positive purpose and has been comprehensively proven by science to be a complete myth.

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    • Pfff… Why would it divide us? Or better put: why would we let it divide us. People who deny that we are all different are ignorant and weak. They better accept that we are all different and that’s pretty awesome. A world with only blond hair and blue eyes would be pretty boring.
      Cheers,
      Micky

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      • We are all different. So-called “race” is a minor part of that, and most difference between humans is not “race” based. Ever heard of Pygmies and Watusis?

        The problem is that you are assigning racial stereotypes based on limited and inaccurate percentages. And to add to the problem, even the old and limited data you supply does not provide support for the stereotypes you further. Your own data would imply that more than 40% of Asians hold their alcohol better than “Caucasians”. But you forget to look at your own data. You mention two enzymes, but forget the rest of the metabolic process, where genetic and cultural norms play an important part.

        And you imply that Caucasians have “normal” levels of enzymes, even though there are less total “Caucasians” on the planet earth than there are a single group of Chinese-speakers, the Han.

        Ignorance is bliss.

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      • And thanks for telling us about the “Kenyan Race”, who run faster in marathons than the “Nigerian Race”.

        Humans have genetic differences. The most often applied factor in “race” definitions, skin color, is the result of a very small number of genetic differences that are mostly direct responses to climate differences, and has little impact upon other human traits.

        But even people who share almost 100% of the same genetic material still react differently to alcohol, as anyone who has gone drinking with twins can tell you.

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      • Miss Tamara, thanks again for your contribution. I do not base my “race theory” on drinking dear. Are you gonna deny that whites,blacks and yellows look completely different? You can get all technical, but normal people just call that different races. I really don’t know what crolled up your ass. We have no bad intentions or judgements here. Why do you feel you need to blow smoke here? Is your life that boring? I suggest you find yourself a shitload of booze and about 1042 cocks. You can write your own article on “genetic differences” on that experience.
        Cheers,
        Micky

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      • Dear Micky, based on your reply, am I to assume that all Dutch just don’t understand genetics and get abusive when it is pointed out? Or should I assume that all Dutch just can’t hold their liquor, and your neurons are fried, at least when you post?

        Which people do you call Black? Like in the British Empire, does that include all Indians from India? What about New Guinea? Sub-Saharan Africans? These three groups, all of whom have been labeled “Black”, do not share any relatively large number of genes, compared to other human populations. In fact their skin pigment genes do not even have the same origin.

        “You can get all technical, but normal people just call that different races.”

        Yes, I get “all technical”, because that is the issue. You claim genetic differences in tolerance to alcohol aligned by race, and yet you don’t understand genetics nor statistics nor race. (Which you prove once again in reducing genetics to skin color.) We have long seen pseudo-scientists trying to prove differences between the races based on genetics. We have seen the danger that that represents. Yes, Nazi Germany, Segregationist America and the Dutch-speaking Boers all too claimed to have “scientific proof” to back up their claims. Their proof doesn’t hold water and neither do the parallel assertions you make in your article.

        And in a footnote, those Chinese (nationals) who can’t hold their liquor drink much more today than the “Dutch Race”.

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      • Ah there she is… Look Tamara, I really got to hurry, since I need to buy fireworks in Belgium for tomorrow’s football match. I’ll give you aproper reply soon. Have a great weekend.
        Cheers,
        Micky

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      • You are right. I have lived and worked in many countries. It helped me to understand how to get by elegantly and with appreciation of differences by looking at the facts of life and the way things are done differently. Not pretending that we are all the same, all equal, all boringly ordinary. It is the limitless infinity of diversity that makes life so appealingly enjoyable. Rigid frigid narrowmindedness is depressing frustrating and leads to hatred.

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      • You’re right, we are ALL different. Every INDIVIDUAL.

        However, what “races” are you talking about? Are Kenyans a race? Are Asians a race? Or are Chinese and Japanese two different races? Do all Africans share the same phenotype as Kenyan runners? Your preface doesn’t make your thinking clear.

        Are you saying people can be classified into races, and if so, what are those races? Are good long distance runners and good sprinters the same race? Does that mean that people with the right genetics to be a world-class sprinter could just as easily run 100 m under 10 seconds? If that race has a genetic predisposition to being good long distance runners and to being good sprinters, are they really the same race? What is it they share?

        You say 15% of Chinese people don’t genetically produce a certain enzyme. So they aren’t real Chinese?

        People indeed have genetic predispositions. But those qualities vary enormously within any population group, just as they vary enormously across population groups.

        There is no scientific definition of a human race, unless you include the scientists of the Third Reich or the late 19th-century apologists for colonialism, who used race as an excuse for their barbarianism. They talked of the Black race, which included Africans, Australians and Indians.

        Is that the race you are talking about? What race are you?

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    • That is because of «virtuous puritans» like you that scientists shy away from looking for answers to why Koreans and Mayans get drunk so fast and seem so dazed. I have lived in South Korea and in Mexico and I can tell how differently they get drunk. I would have liked to know the reasons why. I was not condemning them. I would have liked to know why and maybe to know what to do when my boyfriends got so drunk. It does not make me a racist pig. Admitting that there are differences does not make us fascists. Most self-righteous puritans are the inflexible ones.

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      • Ludo, the science does not support the scenario you promote. Please read what the science says. It says people of different “races” have genes in different frequencies. That, for example, 60% of one “race” has a certain gene, while 40% of another “race” has the same gene. That can only indicate a statistical tendency in one direction IF the gene does indeed have the speculated effect.

        IF you, Ludo, observed that 100% of Koreans or 100% of Mexicans reacted differently to alcohol, that is PROOF that it is not the gene that caused the difference.

        If it is not 100% of Koreans or Mexicans, then saying that Koreans or Mexicans are “different” as a whole is simply false.

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      • Ludo, I’m not sure how long you lived in Korea or what experiences you had. But if you have gone out with businessmen on their stag evenings, you will notice that they act completely different than when they drink the same amount of alcohol at a family dinner or in a restaurant. In Korean culture, men are expected to get silly drunk when they are among other men. But in mixed society, they are expected to remain relatively stoic. Today you also get a ‘young’ hybrid, where they are half-silly when out with some women of their own age.

        There are very strong cultural components to how people exhibit inebriation.

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    • The feelings behind “dividing us” are irrelevant if science confirms it, and denying reality in the name of “social justice” benefits no one. The sheer idea that some should linger with potential issues because it hurts your feelings is utterly absurd and primitive! Races exist. Genders exist. Get over yourself because your virtue signaling impresses no one.

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      • Scientists in their vast majority do not agree on the existence of distinct human races and especially not in their usefulness for scientific study. No contemporary scientist uses arbitrary terms like “black race” or “white race”. Science demands thought and precision. A population group has to be defined much more specifically for any scientist to use it.

        How many “races” do you see, s19742014?

        Is “”white” a “race”?

        Is “black” a “race”?

        What race are people from Afghanistan?

        Are Portuguese black or white? Historically, they have been referred to as both.

        Are Arabs a “race”?

        Are Jews a “race”?

        Are Hispanics “white”, as the US census sometimes claimed, and sometimes not?

        My mother’s family, on average, is taller than my father’s family. Are they different races? Is the Smith family a race of its own?

        Are people with blue eyes a special race?

        Are people with one great grandparent from Sub-Saharan Africa and 7 great grandparents from Europe Negro? As US law once stated?

        If “races” exist, please define the concept. Is it just skin colour? A gut feeling? A guess?

        Just because you may find a stereotype useful doesn’t mean it reflects any greater reality than middle schoolers talking about cool kids and nerds or jocks and brains.

        Please tell us specifically what race is and what races exist.

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      • Can’t reply to couchsirfingsafety directly

        Why should human be any different than other animals?
        All other animals have races, why should it be different with animals?

        Obviously people who have lived 100+ would be more similar than two people from totally geographically different places.

        and if you are going on about the BS size argument. First why is it that deutch are on AVERAGE (keyword) higher than most people? or Japan lower than a lot of Western-European (I was in Japan, I felt much higher than when Im home in Europe). It obviously isn’t JUST because of genes, but it’s partially. Not beliveing that is bloody stupid.

        Also to draw a similar line, with animals (who people acknowledge have races).
        A dog I had was about 45-50 kg, she was quite small for her race, her father was closer to 80 kg. and the average for that race is male dogs 65–90 kg and female 50–65 kg. But if you look at another dog-race (race again :O ) like the chihuahua which is around 3 kg, or the english staffordshire which is around 13-17 kg for male dogs. That’s quite a difference….

        Why is it a problem that human have races, we aren’t that different from other animals. All other animals known to have races, and some are even more valued than other (for different purposes), and no, I don’t say we should value human-races more than other.

        Example with running. Do you think it’s coincidence that “since 1912, when the International Association of Athletics Federations started keeping track of the record holders in that event, only 10 non-black athletes out of 38 individuals have held the title”, “and (probably a bit society based) that since ’68 no non-black have held a title”? (quotet paragraphs taken from livescience)
        And that most of those blacks (not meant degatory, but describing) trace back to west-africa?
        https://www.livescience.com/10716-scientists-theorize-black-athletes-run-fastest.html

        Humans share 99.9% DNA, do you know what else shares a 99.9% DNA similarity dogs and wolves….

        and these dogs are a subspecies of wolves (keyword subspecies), while humans can’t have races?
        species
        subspecies
        races (informal rank in the taxonomic hierarchy)

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      • You nailed it with your comment. The ironic things is that the same people who don’t acknowledge different races among humans are the first to call people that do racists. How, one would ask right?!
        Anyway, I think they are mostly in denial because they fear at some point people will come up with some kind of ranking from best to worst race.
        Although I won’t rule out that some people will indeed find certain races superior (history showed plenty of cases, so why would that stop?), I don’t think we should let fear make us go blind for the truth. The fact that humans all over the world are genetically different doesn’t have to stop us from treating each other like equals.
        Cheers,
        Micky

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      • Dog, if you read the article you posted you will see that the study actually found that the fast sprinters were not only of Sub-Sahara African origin, but they were from one specific part of that region, Western Africa.

        Do you use “Western African” as one of the “races” you talk about?

        This illustrates the dilemma of talking about “race”. It isn’t accurate. SOME Africans from some specific parts of Africa have a genetic predisposition for sprinting. Others do not. While it may be accurate to say that the world’s best sprinters are of African origin, Africans who are not from that geographical region, just like non-Africans, will have a lesser genetic predisposition to sprinting. It is actually what you call Whites AND what you call Blacks that share the same genetic limitations. There is one exception, people from Western Africa. They are indeed part of what you would call the Black race. But they are fundamentally different genetically from others you would also say are the same race.

        That is the problem both you and Mickey share, you don’t understand the relationship between population genetics and what you identify as “races”.

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      • So what you are saying is that it’s a coincidence that a group of people from with origin from the same area is good at the same thing?

        Why is it wrong if there are races?

        And you didn’t even look at the part were wolves and dogs have the same genetic difference that humans have within. And they are in the general poplation looked as as two different species, bu tare really more two difference sub-species (which is a higher difference group than races)

        And I’m under no illusion that I’m good enough at genetics to say what the defenition of different human groups should be looked as races (or another name if you so want). Not all difference ar eon the surface, and not all difference on the surface are major genetic differences. It’s the same reason while many species have been put in the wrong animal-“family”/group just due to outward apperance.

        As said, different, but equal.

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      • Don’t pay attention to this idiot Dog. He or she has been trolling this post under 3 different names. BillyBoy shares an IP-adress with Tamara and couchsurfingsafety. It’s kind of sad really.
        Cheers,
        Micky

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  7. Micky,

    You are wrong. The Chinese were one of the first, if not THE first people to produce alcoholic beverages. Check out some old 8500 years old recipe beer from Chateau Jiahu. Europe didn’t know how to producte until maybe less than 1000 years ago.

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    • Well, fascinating as it is (maybe worth a post in the future) I never said the Chinese didn’t have alcohol. The post is about their bodies handling it poorly.
      Cheers,
      Micky

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      • Micky, did you read your own posts? You claimed that Europeans got less drunk because they had drinking longer. The poster totally destroyed your claim, and Trump-style, you then claim you never said it.

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  8. Actually, Asians have way more better ability to drink alcohol. Americans drink one bottle of beer whole day. We drink 30% alcohol 1-2 bottles each person. What a conservative people, american.

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    • Well, that doesn’t relate to conservation. Anyway, that’s what I felt when I was in America. They drink beer slow.

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      • I absolutely agree with you Matthew. The average American is quite a bad drinker. Guess the anti-alcohol lobby is quite powerful there. No beers till you’re 21? What the hell?!
        Let’s not use them as a standard for the white race but rather the Europeans haha…
        Cheers,
        Micky

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      • And where did they live before that? Ethiopia and Kenya? So we’re all Africans. 😛

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      • The problem, Micky, is that you are confused about genetics. There are a few traits that the groups you call “races” share. But that doesn’t mean they share other traits. And there you confuse statistics with “race”. As the sources you quote show clearly, there is nothing in alcohol resistance that corresponds with the “racial” concepts. Virtually 100% of people of sub-Saharan genetic origin have dark skin. But the statistics you cite are often very far from 100%, sometimes not even approaching 50%, and they refer only to partial contributing factors to alcohol resistance. They are “tendencies” that refer sometimes to a minority of the people you are labelling. You define their proportions as “racial”. It is a false paradyne.

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      • I don’t really see any problem here. The only one who seems to have some issues here is you. It’s 8th of December, the Bulgarian students holiday, so I’m gonna get drunk now if you don’t mind.
        Cheers,
        Micky

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  10. Why did you give the Inca an apostrophe in the plural “Inca’s” but not the Maya (Mayas). Just because a noun ends in a vowel you seem to think (sometimes) that an apostrophe is required. What ever happened to education? cat: cats; dog: dogs; dahlia: dahlias; sofa: sofas; baby: babies; tomato: tomatoes.

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    • You are absolutely right. In my native language Dutch we write Inca’s. Guess it was a matter of habbit. Thanks for pointing that out.
      Cheers,
      Micky

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    • Is that supposed to be impressive? Not sure who Kim is, but 12 shots is not really that much for my standards. 🙂
      Cheers,
      Micky

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  14. I think the reason some groups developed a higher tolerance to alcohol was out of necessity. It had to do with the quality of drinking water. Many big towns in Europe back in the day did not have great sewage systems. They relied on beer and wine as essentially water. I don’t think anyone knew for certain it was actually dehydrating. But I think that perhaps many of the Chinese didn’t need fermented liquid to stay hydrated. They drank a lot of tea, and by boiling water they were able to kill off anything that would hurt them. It could be that it later became a cultural thing and maybe many didn’t need that much alcohol. Many Chinese have a hard time with milk/lactose too. FYI I am Chinese (American) and I have a hard time with both.

    Also the whole ethnicity talk is hard. Agreed, we are one race, and I suppose different ethnicities. I see the Earth as one giant gradient of humans (let’s not even get the rest of the animal kingdom involved). I think at some point, we do have to group some together to talk about some differences. Usually the easiest groupings are by country or region because often times countries are separated by natural geographical barriers that prevent people from easily going back and forth. That results in an increase of genetic differences. I forget what that’s called. I was a biology major a decade ago. Regional groupings are also “easier” because of cultural differences. But I agree, our world is complex. I still appreciate this article and it’s info on the two enzymes. Good to know, I should never try to out drink anyone. Unless it’s a race to see who can be more red first.

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    • Hmmm your tea versus alcohol theory is pretty interesting. It makes a lot of sense to me. It’s supported by the fact that blacks show the same tolerance towards alcohol as whites. No tea in Africa eather.
      Thanks for your comment. Cheers,
      Micky

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    • It’s an interesting concept, but there are several caveats.
      Archeological evidence indicates the Chinese were drinking alcohol long before Europeans, even before the Chinese started drinking tea.
      Big European towns had problems with drinking water, but a very small percentage of the population lived in town. Even 150 years ago, 90% of people lived in the countryside. European drinking habits also historically tended to watered-down wine and beer. Not likely to create evolutionary pressure.
      The Chinese were drinking rice spirits with much higher alcohol content thousands of years earlier.
      And the quoted study actually indicates that while about 50% of the Chinese population MIGHT have a lower alcohol tolerance, that the other 50% WOULD have a higher tolerance than Europeans IF these enzymes were the only factors.

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  15. Tamara – Really? No difference between races? Have you ever watched the NBA? 75% blacks and 0.2% Asians. When is the last time you met a 6’5″ Asian not names Yao Ming? C’mon, Tamara, I have no idea what race you are, but you are definitely a member of the stupid one…

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    • Hey Bruce, I’m afraid that Tamara is spot on on this topic.

      Humans do have genetic variability. Some of that is correlated (in other words, the AVERAGE follows a pattern) with what you call race.

      I’m not sure how you define the “race” of the “blacks” in the NBA, but statistics show that Americans identified as “black” are an incredible ONE INCH taller than Americans identified as “white”.

      In fact if you want to find a correlation in US sports such as basketball, American football and boxing, it is that most participants of ALL “races” come from families with relatively low levels of education and wealth. Maybe sports is one field where they get a level playing field.

      But the original article isn’t about sports, it is about alcohol resistance, and as Tamara has shown, the research Micky quotes simply don’t back up the claims he makes.

      As far as their being no tall people in Asia except Ming, you need to do a little more research. Try with “tallest people in the world”. In both individuals and average height, Africans are nowhere as tall as Western Europeans. The world’s very tallest individuals tend to be ASIAN (which is certainly correlated in part to that fact that 60% of the world’s population is Asian.) How much is diet, how much is genetics? Asian immigrants to the US, when they adopt a high-protein American-style diet, gain numerous inches in a single generation.

      If you know anything about American history, you will realize that African-Americans, issued from slavery, have a very special genetic history, which means that they are not a reflection of the African “race” populations they are in part the descendants of. If you know anything about African populations, you will realize that they are not at all homogeneous. Watusis and Mbuti, to follow up on your basketball logic, have very different average heights.

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      • When you compare the DNA of a tall blonde Scandinavian to the DNA of a black pygmy, the difference is a bee’s dick; it’s like the difference in weight between a red car and a blue car of the same model. Notable percentage differences appear when you compare say, chimps to humans.

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      • So hoe come some card run faster, to use your metaphore? 😁

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    • Maybe because Jews never let Asians play in America so they end up beating you losers at the Olympics in basketball and many other sports also

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    • That is pathetic

      The vikings were 5 ft 7 in ancient times

      Pygmies would be tall also if they were sedentary farmers and not hunter gatherers.

      The European race is a plague to the world that needs to be eliminated

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  16. I would like to ask if you can show the verses in Quran about drinking in Arabic. Also the Hadith that says the prophet Mohammed drank in Arabic. I always have this conversations with my friends who are convinced that alcohol is forbidden in Islam.
    I also agree with the article about races and drinking. I’m Arab every time I drink with Arabs a big fight breaks. Most of the time because of women.

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  17. I like this post. My husband is Japanese and rarely drinks, but when he does he does turn red, oddly enough mostly around his knees. My sister, a biology major, did tell me this was a genetic difference Asians are prone to.
    On that note, sake is my favorite alcoholic beverage. Of course, the best I ever had was from a small sake brewery in Japan. There are tons of these microbreweries in Japan. Can you imagine how fun it would be to visit and write about every one?
    Anyway, cheers!

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    • Microbreweries are always fun, no matter what they produce. Would love to have a taste of real Japanese culture some time.
      Cheers,
      Micky

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  18. The figures in your article are from this report:

    http://extoxnet.orst.edu/faqs/senspop/genetic.htm

    Although they found “variation in ethanol metabolism among genetically diverse people”, the report does not even mention alcoholism.

    Correlation does not equal causation. The old ‘global warming is caused by a lack of pirates’ analogy.

    The book you reference, Casarett & Doull’s Toxicology: The basic Science of Poison by Curtis D. Klaassen, is about toxicology and poison, not addiction.

    Also from the report. “The rapid conversion of alcohol to aldehyde coupled with the slow conversion of aldehyde to acid can cause a build up of aldehyde in the blood. This results in dilated blood vessels and obvious flushing of the face. The build up of these metabolites can cause severe illness.
    In other words, those that metabolise faster will have an increased risk of alcohol poisoning, alcohol related diseases; cirrhosis of the liver, organ failure, etc.

    Addiction to alcohol is unrelated; as stated in the link I posted above, “Social conditions create a predisposition for alcoholism”.

    Also from the same report: Procainamide, hydralazine, dapsone, and caffeine are all partially metabolized through the N-acetylation pathway. Slow N-acetylation has been associated with bladder cancer while fast N-acetylation is associated with colorectal cancer. The incidence of slow acetylators is (1).

    60-70% for Northern Europeans
    50% for black and white Americans
    5-10% for Asian descendants

    ^ Does this mean black and white Americans are genetically the same, i.e. the same race?

    j

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    • Well, a dalmation and a chihuahua van still have kids, doesn’t mean it’s the same race. They are Both dogs though. Don’t Let Gear of xenophobism cloud your mind mate.
      Cheers,
      Micky

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      • Micky, you do understand that dalmatians and chihuahuas are breeds that have been intentionally bred to exaggerate certain characteristics? While it is true that certain racists have carried out short-lived experiments in breeding human slaves, I am going to assume you don’t think the same situation applies to humans as to livestock and show dogs?

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      • If they were bred intentionally in a certain way or it happened in a natural way because of evolution does not change the point at all.

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      • Actually it makes a huge difference. That’s why show dogs suffer from so many unwanted health weaknesses.

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      • So do women with large breasts. We’re getting a bit off topic Billy Boy! 🙂

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      • The kind of artificial race that exists in domestic cattle and show dogs does not exist in nature because evolutionary pressure is of an entirely different focus than humans trying to breed animals for a very limited set of characteristics.

        You seem to be grasping at straws to try to justify your faulty premises.

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      • Not really. I think I have made my point several times and I’m not in the mood to repeat myself too much, while you are single-handedly spamming your thoughts on this post. I get it, you will never admit that there are different races. I on the other hand believe it’s clear there are. Let’s agree to disagree.
        Cheers,
        Micky

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      • Micky, you believe that human “races” exist, but you are unable to identify what they are. You haven’t accepted to define a single human race. It is as silly as talking about a “strong drink” without indicating what you mean by strong. Is 90 proof whiskey strong? Some people think port is strong.

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      • So you don’t see any clear differences between let’s say your average Chinese man and a guy from Ghana. In color, in eyes, in nose, in overall physique? You can keep trolling, but it’s kind of pointless. I will grab myself a drink and turn away from your tsunami of spam messages.
        Cheers!

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      • Micky, to use your own analogy, I see a clear difference between a woman with big breasts and one with small ones. That doesn’t make them a different race.

        Do you stand by your claim that “Indians are alcoholics and Asians can’t drink”? Or have you learning nothing from the dozen people who have dared disagree with your clearly racist comments?

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      • How can I be racist if there are no different races Einstein? You are clearly to stupid to understand that my big breast women remark was about physical discomfort and not about different races. I understand you are incapable of having a normal discussion. Since I can’t help you there, I now choose the company of a good Belgian beer over yours. Salute!

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      • So if you don’t believe in Santa Claus, you’re not allowed to say he wears red?

        Your clear racism is based on YOU believing that YOU can classify people into races and attribute characteristics to those same undefined races that are not based on fact but on the desire to make racist comments. When challenged, Trump-style, all you can say is “believe me” and calling others “stupid”. Even though the articles you cite do not say what you claim they say, and even though others have shown your arguments have more holes than a spider web, you stand on your racist principles. Bravo. Donald would be proud.

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      • Go on calling me a racist fuckface. I bet tonight you will jerk off on how heroic you fought for tolerance. Whatever helps you sleep at night. It’s clear to me that you are a complete retard who is not worthy of my time.

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      • Yes, we see your “race” clearly, don’t we? Your best arguments are simply empty insults.

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      • You were the one who started by calling me a racist you dumb cunt. Now clear the floor for people who actually have something meaningful to say.

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      • Micky, you proved you are a racist. I merely stated the fact. But I do enjoy your bragging about being so fall-down-drunk that so don’t even really remember how you ended up in a Ukrainian jail. Must be genetic. Are Ukrainians also a specific race? Or fall-down-drunks?

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      • When did I go to a Ukranian jail retard. You are just proving my point that you only read what you want to read.

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      • Just to be clear, this:
        “Why Indians are alcoholics and Asians can’t drink”
        is clearly an intentionally racist click-bait comment that you used to label your own article.

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      • Well duh… First lesson for getting a succesful website is to come up with headers that trigger people to read your stuff. Also I’m a little bit done with your cries for attention, so don’t bother posting more, as I will mark your further comments as spam.

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  19. Hi there,

    I appreciate that you likely wrote out of curiosity. Research led me to your site. I’d just learned that htere is actually no substantial evidence that Native Americans or Native Australians, or other peoples (who, coincidentally continue to resist/struggle against the impact of or continued colonialism) are more biologically susceptible to alcohol addiction than Caucasians.

    Because this myth perpetuates racism in countries like mine (Canada), I thought it worth mentioning. Below are some posts which include links or references to studies you might find interesting on this topic:
    Please see:
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/university-of-manitoba-assistant-professor-niigaan-sinclair-reacts-to-offensive-statements-in-a-laurie-river-lodge-brochure-1.2658593
    http://apihtawikosisan.com/2012/10/the-stereotype-of-the-drunken-indian/

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    • I’ll check them out. Thanks for sharing.
      Cheers,
      Micky

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  20. @ Tamara

    ALL Indians from India are black?

    Have you seen Indians from India?

    When the hell did they label every single Indian from India as black?

    Have you seen the physical features for every person in India?

    Do they look black in every part?

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  21. The white race is gog magog and should have been eliminated ages ago

    Indians are Aryans and white people are savages who will be destroyed

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    • You really do your name just, don’t you idiot?! 😀

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  22. Indian is an offensive term, like this article is….*ugh……what a joke of an article. Get with the times MAN!!! That is 1800s language you are referring to when the Canadian govt implemented the Indian Act in 1876 and is still alive today, but nobody refers to any Indigenous peoples by that outdated term unless they are uneducated and ignorant?? Stupidest article I have ever read in my life!

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    • Well aren’t we sensitive. Not a big fan of changing words cause people feel offended. In most cases they search for reasons to feel offended.
      Cheers,
      Micky

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    • Glad we could be of service. You should always start the weekend with a smile.
      Cheers!

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  23. Quoting my favorite author: apihtawikosisan her title: Stereotype of the Drunken Indian: “The idea that indigenous peoples are helpless to resist the lure of alcohol, that we are genetically weak and more susceptible to it, plays into the notion of our supposed inferiority.” google it and educate yourself. More Indigenous than non-Indigenous people are tee-totalers and abstain totally from drinking 34,4% versus 20.7% …hellooooo???? please please educate yourself before you write such nonsense. Try and understand the true history of Indigenous peoples and the negative impacts the non Indigenous world has had on us.

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    • Not drinking isn’t hard… It’s moderate drinking that isn’t for everyone apparently. But I guess you are not here to listen, but rather to spam as much as you can.

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  24. The genetic similarities between Asians and Native Americans go back to the last ice age.
    When the last ice age began (approx. 115,000yrs ago), water in the ocean evaporated into the sky and that moisture fell on land as snow (this happens all the time during seasonal winters, except an ice age is an extended temperature drop). Because of the extended temperature drop, the fallen snow does not melt. It accumulates, compacts, and becomes glaciers. Because the ocean water is not being replenished by melted snow/ice, the sea levels lowered.
    North America and Asia are separated today by a narrow ocean channel called the Bering Strait. But during the ice age, when much of the earth’s water supply was locked in glacial ice, sea levels worldwide dropped and a land bridge emerged from the sea and connected the two continents.
    Nomadic humans traveled from Asia across this “bridge” (it was not a bridge in the sense we understand today, it was really just another large open land mass) to North America.
    Native Americans migrated from Asia onto the Bering land bridge or “Beringia” some 25,000 years ago and spent 10-15,000 years there until they began moving into the Americas 10,000 years ago as the ice sheets melted. Essentially stranding the “American” nomads.
    This separation can be seen in the fact that native American (North, Central, and South) Indians can’t metabolize alcohol as well as Europeans. Asian, similarly, can’t metabolize alcohol as well as Europeans. But they can metabolize alcohol only slightly better than their Native American cousins.
    There was no contact with Europeans, or anyone, for 500 generations. Until Christopher Columbus. On a similarly genetic note… the Europeans and Native Americans exchanged various deseases. The Native American contracted diseases such as smallpox and cholera. While Europeans were first introduced to syphilis.

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    • Richard, the genealogical connection – as you note – between Native Americans and East Asians populations is well established.

      But what is known to be false is that ALL individuals in either population possess genes that make alcohol more difficult to process.

      And in fact I have gone drinking with Han Chinese who could down a bottle of Asian Whiskey all by themselves and maintain themselves as well as many Brits on a few beers. Where close to 60% alcohol is not rare – http://www.whisky.fr/en/brands/kavalan.html?dir=desc&order=price . Many Chinese alcohols happily pass 50%.

      In fact, the gene most often mentioned in the context of alcohol is not present in 40% of Han people. (And remember that just 40% of Han people represents many more people than the total population of the USA.) Meanwhile most Han have another gene that is relatively rare in European populations that seems to partially protect them from displaying signs of drunkenness. [See some discussion already posted]

      Statistical truths, when they exist, are not rules that apply to every individual. I wouldn’t advise – no matter how talented you are at drinking games – to wager against a Chinese drinker.

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