The clustering of significant hits around ALDH2 across these three related phenotypes suggests that a man who flushes is less likely to consume large quantities of alcohol in a limited timeframe and, thus, would be at reduced risk of AD. Indeed, for males without a flushing response (N = 190) the average maximum drinks score is 17.0 compared to 12.0 in males with a flushing response (N = 108, t-test for zero difference in mean p = 2.57×10-5, Figure 2) and 43.8% of males who do not flush are classified as AD, compared to 18.5% of males who do (χ2 = 22.2, d.f. = 3, p < 0.0001).
