Ethanol tolerance (was: Re: [tied] Glen, regarding...)

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Anthony Appleyard"
<a.appleyard@...> wrote:

> --- "gvogar" <gvogar@...> wrote:
> > There is apparent diference in myelin protein lipid composition.
> > ... I have in mind ethanol. This liquid is apparently less
> > toxic to Nordic population in Sweden or Finland while populations
> > of Asian origin are highly affected. ...
>
> And also there may be inherited characteristics that make some

people

> resistant to become addicted to alcohol.
>
> This variation may be caused by how much time there has been for
> natural selection since each population learned to make alcoholic
> drink.

The body breaks down alcohol in two steps. Some Asian groups lack an
enzyme necessary for the second step, which means that when drinking
they get poisoned by the intermediate product (the name of which
escapes me). The anti-alcoholism drug Antabus (I don't know its name
in English) blocks that same second step, with the same result:
ingestion of alcohol makes the person red, sweaty and unwell.

Torsten