Countless corks will be popped and glasses of wine will be poured throughout the next holiday season, but some people will pay a high price for even the smallest amount of merriment.
For some unfortunate individuals, even tiny doses of red wine trigger a headache, usually within 30 minutes to three hours of ingesting only a single glass.
However, experts believe they have solved the enigma of why certain people have “red wine headaches,” despite the fact that no other alcoholic beverages do the same.
According to results published Nov. 20 in the journal Scientific Reports, the culprit appears to be quercetin, a flavanol abundant in fruits and vegetables.
Quercetin is considered a good antioxidant, but it might cause issues when processed by the body with alcohol, according to experts.
“When it gets into your bloodstream, your body converts it to a different form called quercetin glucuronide,” said co-researcher Andrew Waterhouse, a wine scientist and emeritus professor at the University of California, Davis, Department of Viticulture and Enology. “In that form, it blocks the metabolism of alcohol.”
According to lead author Apramita Devi, a postdoctoral researcher at the university’s department of viticulture and enology, the interaction of quercetin with alcohol leads the body to begin producing a toxin called acetaldehyde.
“Acetaldehyde is a well-known toxin, irritant, and inflammatory substance,” Devi explained in a news statement from the institution. “Researchers know that high levels of acetaldehyde can cause facial flushing, headaches, and nausea.”
According to Devi, quercetin has effects comparable to antabuse (disulfiram), a medication administered to alcoholics to prevent drinking.
Antabuse also causes acetaldehyde to accumulate in the body, interfering with the activity of an enzyme that would usually break down the toxin.
“We hypothesize that when susceptible people consume wine containing even small amounts of quercetin, they develop headaches, especially if they have a preexisting migraine or another primary headache condition,” said co-researcher Morris Levin, director of the University of California, San Francisco’s Headache Center.
“We think we are finally on the right track toward explaining this millennia-old mystery,” he said. “The next step is to test it scientifically on people who develop these headaches, so stay tuned.”
According to the researchers, this tiny human clinical trial will evaluate the effects of red wines with high levels of quercetin versus those with low levels.
According to Waterhouse, the quantity of quercetin in red wine can vary considerably depending on how much sunshine the wine-producing grapes are exposed to before harvest.
“Quercetin is produced by the grapes in response to sunlight,” Waterhouse explained. “You get much higher levels of quercetin if you grow grapes with the clusters exposed, as they do in Napa Valley for their cabernets.” It can be four to five times greater in some circumstances.”
Quercetin levels in red wine might also vary depending on how the wine is manufactured, according to the study.
Even if the relationship to quercetin is proven in clinical studies, experts say it’s unknown why some people appear to be more sensitive to red wine headaches than others.
“If our hypothesis pans out, then we will have the tools to start addressing these important questions,” said Waterhouse.
Ask the doctor details on wine!
Q. After consuming red wine, I get headaches. Why? I’m 56 years old and in great shape.
A. A headache after drinking red wine appears to be widespread, although no specific cause has been identified. Several hypotheses have been presented, but none has substantial evidence to support them.
According to one idea, the culprit is histamine, a chemical present in grape skins. Because red wine is created from the entire grape (including the skin), rather than simply the juice, it contains more histamine than white wine. Some people have a lack of an enzyme in the small intestine that breaks down histamine. Because alcohol inhibits the enzyme, the combination may increase histamine levels in the blood, causing blood vessels to widen and a headache.
Tannins, another component of grape skin, might be to blame. Tannins are plant compounds that provide taste and antioxidants to red wines. However, they also stimulate the release of pain-related molecules known as neurotransmitters.
Some specialists believe that sulfites, a wine preservative, are to blame. However, sulfites are found in many white wines and other meals.
These probable reasons vary by wine, so if you don’t want to give up red wine entirely, you may experiment with different brands or grape kinds to see how they effect you. Start with less than half a glass of fresh red wine. It will cause you a headache within 15 minutes if it is going to do so.
Any alcoholic beverage can trigger dilation of blood vessels in the brain, resulting in a headache. On an empty stomach or when dehydrated, avoid consuming wine, beer, or liquor. Drink a glass of water between each glass of wine. Also, restrict your wine consumption to one glass each day. However, if you have two at once, they should be spaced by at least an hour.
