In rural areas of China, where there is a high rate of esophageal cancer but alcohol drinking plays a less important role than in Japan and Taiwan, there is a more modest positive association (ORs, 1.7 to 3.1) between low-activity ALDH2 heterozygotes and esophageal cancer risk (e.g., [16]). This evidence concerns the gene ALDH2 and esophageal cancer.