Does red wine cause more headaches than white?!
Does red wine cause more headaches than white?
I know I've heard that, but I don't know if it's true?
Does someone know for sure?
Answers:
Red wine headache ("RWH") is a bad headache often accompanied by nausea and flushing that occurs in many people after drinking even a single glass of red wine. This syndrome can sometimes develop within 15 minutes of consumption of the wine.
The condition does not occur after consumption of white wine or other alcoholic beverages. Some individuals report that they get a migraine headache hours later from drinking some red wines. No one knows for certain why this syndrome occurs. It probably has more than one cause.
What might cause headaches:
Sulfites
people have assumed that sulfites are the cause of RWH. This is not the case. Almost all wine contains sulfites. Many sweet white wines have more sulfites than red wines. Dried fruit and processed food like lunchmeat have far more sulfites than red wine. Less than 1% of population is sensitive to sulfites.
Histamines
RWH is probably not caused by histamines except in rare cases. Red wine has 20 - 200% more histamines than white, and those who are allergic to them are deficient in a certain enzyme. Some experts believe that the combination of alcohol and that deficiency could cause headaches. However, a study of 16 people with an intolerance to red wine, reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Feb 2001), found no difference in reactions to low and high histamine wines. Taking loratadine (Claritin) an hour before drinking should reduce the reaction to histamines and the resulting symptoms. This would tell an individual whether histamines were the cause of their problem.
Another solution that has been advanced is to drink a cup of black tea before you drink the wine. If one will be drinking over the course of an evening, have another cup or two of black tea during the evening. Quercetin, a bioflavonoid found in black tea, significantly inhibits the headache/flush response (which is an inflammatory effect from histamines), according to Tareq Khan, M.D., a pain expert with St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston, Texas. Again, if histamine is not the cause of a given individual's reaction to wine, the antihistamine effects of black tea will be of no more help than the antihistamine effects of loratadine, just as in the example of the previous paragraph.
Tannins
Other experts think tannins are at the root of RWH. Tannins are the flavonoids in wine that give it its degree of mouth-drying bitterness you taste and its distinct taste. The taste is the same as when you bite into a grape skin. Tannin is a chemical substance that comes from grape skins, stems, and seeds. The skins also impart color to wine, which is why red wines typically have a lot more tannin than whites. Red wines are fermented while in contact with the skins and seeds. Modern winemakers take care to minimize undesirable tannins from seeds by crushing grapes gently when extracting their juice.
Wines can also take on tannins from the oak or other woods used in wine barrels for storage. Different woods in different countries affect the type of tannins in the wine.
Prostaglandins
RWH could be caused by the release of prostaglandins which some people are not able to metabolize. Prostaglandins are substances that can contribute to pain and swelling. Ibuprofen (Advil) and aspirin are prostaglandin inhibitors. Some people get good results taking a dose of ibuprofen an hour before consuming red wine.
Other Possibilities
It has also been postulated that RWH could be caused by a strain of yeast or bacteria found in red wine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/red_wine_he...