South Korean researchers have found that people whose faces turn red when drinking should avoid indulging in a lifestyle of regular excessive alcohol intake to avoid increasing the risk of falling victim to heart problems. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 22 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean researchers have found that people whose faces turn red when drinking should avoid indulging in a lifestyle of regular excessive alcohol intake to avoid increasing the risk of falling victim to heart problems.
This conclusion was derived by a research team headed by professors at the Samsung Medical Center. As part of the team’s study, 854 men with neither heart problems nor any symptoms of such complications were administered ultrasound tests to observe the impact the alcohol consumption has on the heart.
Among the participants, 708 said they drank on a regular basis, and 39.3 percent of the drinking group (278) had flushed faces after drinking.
Among the participants, 708 said they drank on a regular basis, and 39.3 percent of the drinking group (278) had flushed faces after drinking. (Image: Yonhap)
The red-faced drinkers’ left atriums’ size (left atrium volume index) were on average 29.42ml/㎡, a measurement 7 percent greater than those of non-drinkers. The left atriums’ size were found to be in proportion to amount of regular alcohol intake; the more alcohol that was regularly consumed, the larger the left atrium was. This relationship was not found to exist amongst drinkers whose faces did not change color.
The researchers said that exceeding the intake of 196g of alcohol (approximately half a bottle of soju) for those who turn red would be akin to poisoning oneself. In addition, indulging in too much alcohol was found to speed up the aging of the heart and increase the risk of arrhythmia in old age.
Song Yoon-mi, one of the researchers, said, “The appropriate amount of alcohol for each person can differ, but what is clear is that people whose faces turn red should consider their recommended intake amount to be very low.”
Song continued, “The reason the face is flushed is because the heart is sending a ‘red light’ meaning that it can’t take any more alcohol, which is why abstinence or temperance is absolutely necessary.”
A report on the findings was listed in the journal Alcoholism Clinical & Experiment Research.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
