The ADH1B*2 allele was highly prevalent in Asian ethnic groups, particularly in northeast Asians (i.e., Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans) (see Table 1). Among the Han Chinese and Taiwanese and the Chinese Americans, 84 to 92 percent possessed at least one ADH1B*2 allele, including 40 to 60 percent who were homozygous for ADH1B*2 (Chao et al. 1987; Goedde et al. 1992; Lee et al. 1989; Luczak et al. 2004; Shen et al. 1997). Rates of having at least one ADH1B*2 allele were slightly lower in some Chinese and Taiwanese aborigine groups (e.g., 63 percent in Elunchan, 74 percent in Mongolian, and 78 percent in Ami) but were higher in others (e.g., 98 to 100 percent in Atayal, Bunun, and Paiwan) (Chen et al. 1997; Shen et al. 1997; Thomasson et al. 1994).
