What is the ALDH2 gene?
ALDH2 helps clear reactive aldehydes, including acetaldehyde. That links it to alcohol response, oxidative load, and in some people to histamine-adjacent symptom patterns.
How ALDH2 affects metabolism
If ALDH2-related clearance is weaker, reactive load can linger longer and make symptom patterns feel more disproportionate to the trigger.
What happens when ALDH2 is altered
Altered ALDH2 function does not automatically explain histamine symptoms, but it raises the value of checking whether aldehyde handling is part of the picture.
Curated SNP evidence for ALDH2
These SNPs come from the approved study-level evidence model. Each claim is scored from curated study rows, then gated before it can influence pathway scoring.
Evidence-backed report connection
ALDH2 currently has 2 curated SNPs, 6 claim-level scores, and 0 claims eligible for pathway scoring.
Open the sample reportrs671Glu504Lys3 claims · 6 study rows
enzyme activity · AA
ALDH2 enzyme activity
rs671 AA is associated with reduced ALDH2 enzyme activity.
ALDH2 rs671 is scored as a lower aldehyde-dehydrogenase activity tendency when the A allele is present, with the strongest score for AA.
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enzyme activity · AG
ALDH2 enzyme activity
rs671 AG is associated with reduced ALDH2 enzyme activity.
ALDH2 rs671 is scored as a lower aldehyde-dehydrogenase activity tendency when the A allele is present, with the strongest score for AA.
Show study evidence
enzyme activity · GG
ALDH2 enzyme activity
rs671 GG has no scored directional claim for ALDH2 enzyme activity.
ALDH2 rs671 is scored as a lower aldehyde-dehydrogenase activity tendency when the A allele is present, with the strongest score for AA.
Show study evidence
rs886205ALDH2 supporting signal3 claims · 3 study rows
expression · AA
ALDH2 gene expression
rs886205 AA is associated with increased ALDH2 gene expression.
ALDH2 rs886205 is scored as a modest regulatory expression tendency: AA relatively higher, GG relatively lower, and AG intermediate.
expression · GG
ALDH2 gene expression
rs886205 GG is associated with reduced ALDH2 gene expression.
ALDH2 rs886205 is scored as a modest regulatory expression tendency: AA relatively higher, GG relatively lower, and AG intermediate.
expression · AG
ALDH2 gene expression
rs886205 AG has no scored directional claim for ALDH2 gene expression.
ALDH2 rs886205 is scored as a modest regulatory expression tendency: AA relatively higher, GG relatively lower, and AG intermediate.
Common symptoms people report
- alcohol sensitivity
- flushing or headaches with reactive-load triggers
- feeling worse under mixed histamine and aldehyde stress
Biomarkers to validate
Trigger tracking
Useful because aldehyde-related symptoms are often exposure-linked.
Liver enzymes
Adds broad clearance context.
Plasma histamine when relevant
Helps separate histamine from aldehyde-only explanations.
Where DNA analysis helps
DNA helps show when reactive aldehyde clearance belongs in the discussion instead of treating all reactions as generic histamine intolerance.
Example Insight
Your reactivity pattern may involve aldehyde clearance more than generic histamine language alone suggests.
Suggested validation: trigger tracking plus liver-context markers.
What to do next
- Review ALDH2 with histamine and detox context together.
- Use exposure and symptom tracking before over-reading the gene.
- Treat the gene as pathway context rather than a diagnosis.
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