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Will We Soon Know the Cause of 'Red Wine Headache'?

A new device may be able to detect chemicals in red wine that lead to the dreaded “red wine headache,” according to University of California, Berkeley researchers.

The chemicals are called biogenic amines, and they’re found in a variety of fermented foods including wine, cheese, olives, nuts, cured meats and chocolate.

Red wine headache is thought to be caused by two amines called tyramine and histamine, but other potential causes also exist.

The new detector, which is the size of a small suitcase, can analyze a drop of wine and determine its amine levels in five minutes. The researchers are in the process of developing a pocket-sized version that you can take with you to a restaurant to test wine at your table.

Red wine and sake were found to have the highest amine levels, while beer had the lowest, researchers said.

Some experts recommend that those who do experience headaches after drinking red wine avoid amine-rich food and drinks. Aside from headaches, amines can also trigger high blood pressure, heart palpitations and elevated adrenaline levels.

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Dr. Mercola''s Comments Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Regular newsletter readers know that I LOVE gadgets … but this is one gadget that I’ll be taking a pass on.

Folks, if wine gives you a headache, there’s no need for you to test it to find out just how bad for you it may be. Any pain in your body is a sign that something is out of balance and harmony. And if your head hurts from drinking wine, then you should listen to your body and stop drinking it.

Many of you, however, may decide to drink red wine because you believe it has some health benefits. Indeed, there is some evidence that points to wine’s positive impact on heart disease, lifespan and more.

Much of the benefit appears to be due to an antioxidant, resveratrol, found in grape skins and red wine. Resveratrol belongs to a family of compounds known as polyphenols, which are known to combat damaging free radicals in your body.

It appears that resveratrol lowers your "bad" LDL cholesterol while raising "good" HDL cholesterol and decreases the production of a protein that plays a major role in your development of heart disease.

Resveratrol was also found to extend the lifespan of yeast cells by up to 80 percent, and researchers are hoping to prove that the molecules will have similar effects on worms, fruit flies and even humans. 

Resveratrol is truly one of the most exciting antioxidants out there, but there are challenges when you receive it from drinking wine as the alcohol in the wine is not something that is intrinsically good for you.

Alcohol, in any form, is a neurotoxin that can poison your brain and leave you more vulnerable to various forms of cancer, which is why I personally do not advocate drinking any amount of wine.

People with high blood pressure, extra weight, diabetes, or high cholesterol should be even more cautious when it comes to alcohol -- including wine -- as it increases your insulin levels.

So, if you want the health benefits of red wine, without the alcohol, what should you do? There are a number of different companies that produce quality resveratrol supplements right now. It is important to focus on products that have the WHOLE grape skins and seeds, however.

And remember, if you are drinking wine thinking it is a safe form of alcohol, think again. If you are healthy (and not overweight), you can probably get by with drinking a small amount of wine without causing yourself major problems.

Ideally, though, I’d recommend passing on the wine and enjoying a glass of sparkling mineral water instead. My favorite is Pellegrino.

Having said that, it is important to understand some important facts on resveratrol supplementation. Because this antioxidant is soluble in alcohol you will get far more absorption if you consume it in an alcohol base as opposed to swallowing it from a pill. So while there are clearly distinct and negative consequences to consuming alcohol, these are partially compensated for by its ability to increase the absorption of resveratrol into your blood where it performs its magic.

Please recognize, though, that this is really only applicable for red wine, as the amount of resveratrol in white wine is minimal and not really clinically significant.


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Comment on This Article Community Comments (44)
 
 
Posted On Nov 02, 2007
If you get a headache from something, would it not be your body's way of telling you it is not good for you?

Mary

 
mmc88121
Moderator User Moderator User, Joined On 11/2006
mmc88121  
Replied

samurai
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 4/2007
samurai  
 
Posted On Nov 03, 2007
I agree, Mary.


Russ Bianchi
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 9/2006
Russ Bianchi  
 
Posted On Nov 03, 2007
Correct Mary.

Aspartame is a perfect example in diet sodas.  Those that consume more than a few aspartame sweetened sodas can experience head aches (not 'brain freeze' which is different) because aspartame (Nutrasweet/Equal) is broken down in the blood stream to amino acids (harmless) and formaldehyde (embalming fluid).  The formaldehyde is toxic, but also causes oxygen depravation in the blood flow to the brain, via capillary constriction, and thus synapse interruption (mini strokes) triggering head aches.  Just one of many examples of the body "telling you" your intake is BAD.

Uncle Russ


Aaltrude
Moderator User Moderator User Joined On 4/2007
Aaltrude  
 
Posted On Nov 05, 2007
Russ - aspartame would have to be one of the most dangerous food additives available. There have been 92 adverse effects of aspartame noted which have been documented here.

http://www.presidiotex.com/92symptoms/

MSG is another food additive which has a lot of similar effects to aspartame. Information on the effects of these two dangerous additives is available in Dr russell Blaylock's book " Excitotoxins - The Taste that Kills".

 
 
 
Posted On Nov 02, 2007
Who really cares.  Is red wine a necessity of life?  Even if we discover the active headache ingredient what is the solution?  I know--genetically modified grapes or maybe a new prescription drug to counteract the effects.  There has got to be a way to make some money off of it through some unscrupulous way. 

 
foxtroter_203
Savvy User Savvy User, Joined On 9/2006
foxtroter_203  
Replied

Russ Bianchi
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 9/2006
Russ Bianchi  
 
Posted On Nov 02, 2007
Apologies again to Billy Joel, and 'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant', off the Stranger album:

"Bottle of White, Bottle of Red, who cares if the Cal guys can detect a pain in my head...
Rose' may also be nice, to baffle the overpriced detection device..."
 

 
 
 
Posted On Nov 03, 2007
My best friend claims to have a similar reaction when he drinks wine containing sulfites.

I don't even know what sulfites are...but could that be the culprit for some people?

 
Islander
Moderator User Moderator User, Joined On 3/2007
Islander  
Replied

Aaltrude
Moderator User Moderator User Joined On 4/2007
Aaltrude  
 
Posted On Nov 05, 2007
Islander - I had this type of reaction to sulphites in wine and food at one stage. I did some research and discovered that both vitamin B12 and molydenum are essential nutrients for the production of the sulphite oxidase enzyme that converts sulphites to sulphates which the body can then excrete. My Vitamin B12 was in the low normal range so my doctor had never questioned it. I started taking a vitamin B12 supplement and when I got my B12 up to the mid normal range these symptoms caused by sulphites disapeared. I now avoid food with sulphites but do have the occassional glass of wine. I also keep my B12 level high.
This also highlights the inadequacy of relying on normal ranges for lab tests. These are calculated by testing a large number of random samples, removing any obvious outlying results, finding the mean and calculating +/- 2 standard deviations from the mean. In other words the normal range is found by a mathmatical calculation and not by the effect the levels have on the body.


seg
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 11/2006
seg  
 
Posted On Nov 08, 2007
There are many many things in red wines that people can be allergic to, sulfites, tannins, histamines, yeast and bacteria .....


ruarck
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 6/2006
ruarck  
 
Posted On Dec 04, 2007

[SUHL-fites] Sulfites, the salts of sulfurous acid, have been used to preserve food and drink for eons. Today sulfites can be found in everything from beer to cookies to pickles. All but a tiny fraction of wines made today contain sulfites, small amounts of which are a natural by-product of fermentation. Additionally, winemakers around the world prevent spoilage and oxidation by adding controlled amounts of sulfur dioxide (see listing for details) in a process called sulfiting. In the United States, the words "Contains Sulfites" are mandatory on wine labels if the wine contains 10 ppm (parts per million) or more of sulfites. The upper limit is 350 ppm, but most wines contain less than 150 ppm. Sulfites can cause allergic reactions in certain sulfite-sensitive individuals.


 
 
 
Posted On Nov 23, 2007

I have had horrible reactions (headaches, extreme "drunkenness")...most especially from red wines, but even the whites had started to be an issue.  A friend told me it was due to the tannins in US soils.  A guy at Whole Foods was SURE it was the sulfites.  I am pretty sure my body is sensitive to the tannins.  For the most part, I can drink red wines from ANY country outside the US with no more than a pleasant buzz.  I can even drink them in excess...no problem.  In France, we paid E3.80 at the local French "7-11"....and drank huge amounts...no problem.  I have noticed that there are almost always sulfites in the foreign wines. Two glasses of California red...and I'm dead meat.  I never pay more than $6.00 a bottle here....so it isn't the "quality" either.  I have to go with my friend's assessment...it sure looks like it's the tannins!!  


 
healthquest_3
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 7/2006
healthquest_3  
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bellecat
Novice User Novice User Joined On 9/2007
bellecat  
 
Posted On Nov 24, 2007

I have a friend who has problems with California wines, but wines from Washington and Oregon do not bother her.



Laura D.
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 5/2007
Laura D.  
 
Posted On Nov 24, 2007

I agree, I think it's US wines, but also what the US allows to import.  In Italy I never felt even drunk, let alone sick from wine.  Here even with "good" expensive wine I have to be quite careful.  What do you think that's about?  And forget white - can't smell the stuff without nausea.  I must have a weak liver.



xyzsch
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 10/2006
xyzsch  
 
Posted On Nov 25, 2007

Tannins are primarily from the grape skins, and red wine wine is fermented with skin contact (otherwise it would be white). Lighter wines may have shorter skin contact, and thus fewer tannins. To test whether it's the tannins, see if you notice a difference betwen a lighter and a heavier red. The lighter red, even from CA, should give less of a headache, if tannins are the problem. Tannins also come from oak aging, but again, the lighter ones would have less of this.



Haras
Novice User Novice User Joined On 2/2007
Haras  
 
Posted On Nov 25, 2007

Tannins are absorbed so poorly it's unlikely to be them.  If it was the tannins, you'd react to all red wine not just ones from certain geographic areas and you'd have a SEVERE case of leaky gut which was allowing them to enter from the digestive tract.  Tannins are the substance that give wine (and tea) it's astringent properties, they act locally on the lining of the digestive tract.  They have a toning or astringent effect on mucous membranes.  They can also bind to minerals and decrease absorption of the minerals.

Your headaches may be due to pesticides unique to American grapes or due to sulphite or amine sensitivity or even a comination of these.

You might also have poor phase II liver detoxification as well (may be look at supplementing with either glutathione or selenium to help with this).

Sarah



Haras
Novice User Novice User Joined On 2/2007
Haras  
 
Posted On Nov 25, 2007

PS, the tannins don't come from the soil - the plant produces them itself in an effort to protect itself from being eaten by predators (bugs, animals etc).  


 
 
 
Posted On Nov 25, 2007

Ramona

I have a friend who can handle wine as well as I can, but gets sick from the smallest amount of beer. How we react to different foods, beverages, or recreational drugs (caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana etc) is a very individual thing.

No caffeine or any burning substances for this kid.


 
xyzsch
Apprentice User Apprentice User, Joined On 10/2006
xyzsch  
 
 
 
 
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