About 40 million East Asians (Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans) are extremely sensitive to alcohol, and consumption of even small doses of ethyl alcohol evokes the unpleasant symptoms of flushing, nausea, headache and tachycardia.
The body rapidly metabolizes ethyl alcohol in two steps:
Alcohol-sensitive individuals lack aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and accumulate acetaldehyde which causes the unpleasant symptoms, and is also mutagenic and carcinogenic. Our discovery: sulforaphane (e.g. from broccoli sprouts) and similar inducers of cytoprotective enzymes boosts ALDH and accelerates the disposal of acetaldehyde.
Blood Levels of Ethanol and Acetaldehyde in Sulforaphane-treated Mice
Question: Can aldehyde dehdrogenase (ALDH) be boosted in humans by sulforaphane?