Ken Yasumoto-Nicolson wrote:

> We just got our monthly "fact" sheet from our health and safety
> committee, and from our resident quack, we got some advice on drinking
> limits. Translating roughly, it says:
>
> If you drink over 60-80 grammes of ethanol (over 3-4 sake pottery
> thingies I've forgotton the word for; over 3-4 bottles of beer (660ml
> size implied by clip-art); or over 3-4 doubles) per day, there's a
> high possibility (ka'nosei ga takai) of "fatty liver" (don't know the
> proper term!)
>
> Over 100-120 grammes, for over 10-15 years, it's possible (ka'nosei ga
> aru) to get liver fibrosis (cirrhosis? kan-sen'i-sho).
>
> I was always taught that the safe/recommended limit is 3-4 units per
> day for men (eg, about 30-40 grammes) or 28 per week. Does the
> Japanese goverment have any recommendations on this matter? Wouldn't
> most Japanese men be over that limit with their sake on returning home
> and a beer or two over food? I get funny looks from my colleagues when
> I tell them I don't actually consume any alcohol at home at all.
>
> Ken

I used to believe it was crap that some Japanese believed that they were
somehow different physically, that the Japanese government feels it
necessary to confirm the safety of foreign approved drugs on Japanese
people, etc.

Well it turns out that ethnic groups actually do have meaningful physical
differences. I knew that there were differences between ethnic groups
(and age groups and genders) for susceptibility to certain diseases and
conditions. I did not know until recently that different races even
reacted differently to the same medications and treatments for ailments.