Does Your Face Turn Red When You Drink? Here’s The Interesting Reason Why

People who turn red-faced when they drink are less able to tolerate alcohol and need to watch their blood pressure, new research has shown. A study found the risk of alcohol-related hypertension, or high blood pressure, was greater in people who develop a warm glow after drinking. The risk was significantly increased when ‘flushers’ consumed more than four drinks per week.

The rosy-cheeked, often portly, drinker has long been a figure of fun and one of the cartoonist’s favourite characters. But the new research from Korea suggests that flushing red after a drink is no joke.
High blood pressure, including alcohol-related high blood pressure, is a major cause of heart attacks and strokes because it puts strain on the blood vessels.
‘Facial flushing after drinking is always considered as a symptom of high alcohol sensitivity or even intolerance to alcohol, unless a patient is taking special medicine,’ said lead researcher Dr Jong Sung Kim, from Chungnam National University School of Medicine.
‘The facial flushing response to drinking usually occurs in a person who cannot genetically break down acetaldehyde, [a toxic product of alcohol produced when alcohol is broken down in the liver].
‘To my knowledge, there has been no detailed research that has analysed the relationship between drinking and hypertension while considering individual responses to alcohol.

‘Our results indicate that hypertension associated with drinking has a lower threshold value and higher risk in flushers than in non-flushers.
‘After adjusting for age, body mass index, exercise status, and smoking status, the risk of hypertension was significantly increased when flushers consumed more than four drinks per week. 
‘In contrast, in non-flushers, the risk increased with consuming more than eight drinks per week.’
‘Facial flushing after alcohol drinking differs across gender, age, and ethnic groups,’ added Kyung Hwan Cho, president of the Korean Academy of Family Medicine.
‘In general, it is more common in women, the elderly, and East Asians versus Westerners.’

The team, whose findings appear online in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, examined the medical records of 1,763 Korean men, including 288 non-drinkers, 527 flushing drinkers, and 948 non-flushing drinkers.
The risk of high blood pressure related to alcohol consumption was compared in flushers and non-flushers.
Facial flushing after drinking may potentially serve as a marker of hypertension risk associated with alcohol, said Dr Kim.
‘Our research findings suggest that clinicians and researchers should, respectively, consider evaluating their patients’ flushing response to alcohol as well as drinking amount in a daily routine care, and researching hazard by drinking,’ he added.
The researchers admit it is not clear why people who turn red when they drink alcohol are at greater risk of high blood pressure.