It's not because they're drunker than you are. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Asian flush, also widely known as Asian glow, is when Chinese, Japanese and Korean people turn red after drinking alcohol. What causes Asian glow? Genetics, basically. Around 36% of Northeast Asians are deficient in one of the enzymes that metabolizes alcohol, due to a gene mutation called ALDH2*2. This leads to a buildup of a toxic substance called acetaldehyde, which causes Asian flush and can also cause cancer, especially esophageal cancer. /// Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com to get up to speed on everything from Kurdistan to the Kim Kardashian app. Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H Or on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o