Drinking blush because "eat rice?"

Drinking blush because "eat rice "? Beijing News weekly of the new knowledge

Why Asians drank wine, red face easily? Chinese scientists recently published the results of one study was of the view that the reasons were attributed to the popularity of rice in Asia.

In their view, the new era-era Chinese rice crop domestication led to changes in the structure of human food and lead to a gene mutation that makes it vulnerable to so-called "red" in Asia, but also scientists study on this.

Eat rice, gene mutations more

When people drink, liver of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADHs) alcohol into acetaldehyde, then, acetaldehyde is converted into acetic acid.

However because the gene pictures, 50% of Asians, and 5% of the European body of these enzymes can ability to improve the metabolism of alcohol of 100 times. This means that the metabolism of intermediate mass accumulation of acetaldehyde. Once the acetaldehyde in short time, can cause facial telangiectasias of who's face is red, the other side effects include nausea and headache, etc.

In 2008, Yale University's Shakti (KennethKidd) published the article points out, the gene mutation to blame alcohol dehydrogenase 47-amino acid polymorphism (ADH1B * 47His), but this gene mutation may be the result of natural selection in East Asian population.

Subsequently, by the Institute of Zoology of the scientists of the scientific research of places soldiers led the squad to start looking for the source of natural selection.

Their findings in January of the evolutionary biology of periodicals published, then, the Science magazine on science news columns in it.

Researchers in China 38 nationalities in selected 2275 samples, on their body ADH1B * 47His mutation analysis.

They found that China Jiangsu region of crowd, 99% are present such mutations, the western part of the respondents from China has 60% to 70% of the people of this gene mutation, and the existence of Tibetan respondents, a gene mutation in people less likely to only 14% of the people. The gene mutations more people come from the rice-growing areas.

Study raises a different reaction

Scientists on this mutation occurs for the research, that it appears on the 7000 years 10000 years ago, this coincides with the start of rice cultivation in southern China's time.

Study suggests that the pressure of natural selection, the mutation occurs in order to protect early farmers block from excessive alcohol consumption so as to reduce the harm of alcohol on the body, but at the same time be able to take advantage of rice by fermentation of higher nutritional value. "This research is reported in only a few changes to the individual categories of food molecules, in order to understand since the Neolithic age population genetic structure of change and the molecular mechanism of natural selection has provided new evidence. "The researchers said.

This new study by the scientific community different reaction.

Australia New South Wales anthropologist Soetikno said, this study shows a human cultural evolution of mankind has played a very important change. Prior to that, research shows that agricultural and some enzymes such as in the human body dissolve starch of amylase, and lactase, gene, there is a certain connection.

However, there are scientists on this latest experiment.

Yale University's Shakti considered that this research team have made the assumption that the "reasonable", but so far, just suppose that stage. For research teams are properly consulted gene mutation in time he also expressed doubts, because of this and other scientists previously estimated time difference of at least 3000 years. Whereas the United Kingdom London City University archaeologist Fowler also believes that research staff if only individually to gene mutation occurs and the popularity of rice cultivation, this could be wrong. Fowler also stated that if the researchers will examine the limitations in later times, i.e. about 8000 years ago, rice has become the major food crops of the archaeological evidence, you may find that lead Asian blush reason more than rice.

Compilation/reporter Kim Yu