WARNING: People might feel pressured to drink alcohol during Lunar New Year get-togethers, the HPA said, urging people to avoid excessive alcohol consumption
Taipei Times
Date: Jan 08, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
Nearly half of the population in Taiwan lacks the mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2)
Bottles of liquor are pictured on the shelf of a convenience store in Changhua County on June 11 last year.
Photo: Chen Kuan-pei, Taipei Times
Warning: Excessive consumption of alcohol can damage your health.
Many feel pressured to drink alcoholic beverages at company year-end parties or Lunar New Year get-togethers, the agency said, adding that people should be aware that excessive drinking is not only linked to increased risks of gastric ulcers, cirrhosis, cardiovascular disease and cancer, but also to dementia.
A study published last year in the US suggests that alcohol consumption in people with an ALDH2 deficiency not only increases the risk of alcohol-related cancers, but can also contribute to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, it said.
A 23-year follow-up study suggests that people who drink more than seven cans of beer per week have an increased risk of dementia, with the risk increasing to about 2.2 times if they drink up to 10 cans per week, HPA Tobacco Control Division head Lo Su-ying (羅素英) said. [FULL STORY]
