A red wine may pair nicely with the upcoming Thanksgiving meal. But for some people, drinking red wine even in small amounts causes a headache. Typically, a 鈥渞ed wine headache鈥 can occur within 30 minutes to three hours after drinking as little as a small glass of wine.
What in wine causes headaches?
In a new study, scientists at the University of California, Davis, examined why this happens 鈥 even to people who don鈥檛 get headaches when drinking small amounts of other alcoholic beverages. Researchers think that a flavanol found naturally in red wines can interfere with the proper metabolism of alcohol and can lead to a headache. The was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The headache culprit: Quercetin, a flavanol
This flavanol is called quercetin, and it is naturally present in all kinds of fruits and vegetables, including grapes. It鈥檚 considered a healthy antioxidant and is even available in supplement form. But when metabolized with alcohol, it can be problematic.
鈥淲hen it gets in your bloodstream, your body converts it to a different form called quercetin glucuronide,鈥 said wine chemist and corresponding author Andrew Waterhouse, professor emeritus with the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology. 鈥淚n that form, it blocks the metabolism of alcohol.鈥
Acetaldehyde toxin buildup leads to flushing, headache, nausea
As a result, people can end up accumulating the toxin acetaldehyde, explains lead author Apramita Devi, postdoctoral researcher with the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology.
鈥淎cetaldehyde is a well-known toxin, irritant and inflammatory substance,鈥 said Devi. 鈥淩esearchers know that high levels of acetaldehyde can cause facial flushing, headache and nausea.鈥
The medication disulfiram prescribed to alcoholics to prevent them from drinking causes these same symptoms. Waterhouse said that鈥檚 because the drug also causes the toxin to build up in the body when normally an enzyme in the body would break it down. About 40% of the East Asian population also has an enzyme that doesn鈥檛 work very well, allowing acetaldehyde to build up in their system.
鈥淲e postulate that when susceptible people consume wine with even modest amounts of quercetin, they develop headaches, particularly if they have a preexisting migraine or another primary headache condition,鈥 said co-author Morris Levin, professor of neurology and director of the Headache Center at the University of California, San Francisco. 鈥淲e think we are finally on the right track toward explaining this millennia-old mystery. The next step is to test it scientifically on people who develop these headaches, so stay tuned.鈥
Sunlight increases headache-causing flavanol in grapes
Waterhouse said levels of this flavanol can vary dramatically in red wine.
鈥淨uercetin is produced by the grapes in response to sunlight,鈥 Waterhouse said. 鈥淚f you grow grapes with the clusters exposed, such as they do in the Napa Valley for their cabernets, you get much higher levels of quercetin. In some cases, it can be four to five times higher.鈥
Levels of quercetin can also differ depending on how the wine is made, including skin contact during fermentation, fining processes and aging.
Clinical trial on wine headaches
Scientists will next compare red wines that contain a lot of quercetin with those that have very little to test their theory about red wine headaches on people. This small human clinical trial, funded by the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation, will be led by 新澳门六合彩内幕信息SF.
Researchers said there are still many unknowns about the causes of red wine headaches. It鈥檚 unclear why some people seem more susceptible to them than others. Researchers don鈥檛 know if the enzymes of people who suffer from red wine headaches are more easily inhibited by quercetin or if this population is just more easily affected by the buildup of the toxin acetaldehyde.
鈥淚f our hypothesis pans out, then we will have the tools to start addressing these important questions,鈥 Waterhouse said.
Funding for this initial investigation came from people who supported the project via 2022 Crowdfund 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis.
Media Resources
Media Contacts:
- Andrew Waterhouse, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, alwaterhouse@ucdavis.edu
- Apramita Devi, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, aprdevi@ucdavis.edu
- Morris Levin, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息SF Department of Neurology, morris.levin@ucsf.edu
- Amy Quinton, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis News and Media Relations, cell 530-601-8077, amquinton@ucdavis.edu