Red wine is known to cause headaches after drinking even small amounts. A new study comes closer to answering the question of what the reasons are.
Some people may know the feeling: you drink a glass of red wine in the evening and wake up with a headache the next morning. But why does red wine cause headaches for some people after consuming small amounts, while other types of alcohol only cause it in larger quantities?
A scientific team led by wine researcher Apramita Devi from the University of California in Davis wants to have found an answer to this as part of a study: the culprit is a flavonoid called quercetin found in red grapes, which can disrupt alcohol metabolism in the body. The research group recently shared the study results in the journal Scientific Reports.
Red wine: This toxin causes headaches
For their study, the researchers used laboratory experiments to examine how quercetin is metabolized together with alcohol. “When quercetin enters the bloodstream, the body converts it into another form called quercetin glucuronide,” the specialist portal Eurekalert quotes wine chemist Andrew Waterhouse, who was a co-author of the study.
This ensures that acetaldehyde, an intermediate product in the breakdown of alcohol, builds up in the body and can then cause symptoms such as headaches. “Acetaldehyde is a known toxin, irritant, and inflammatory substance,” says lead author Devi. Research has long known that in high concentrations it can cause redness, headaches and nausea.
Until the current study, research focused primarily on the many phenolic compounds in red wine, especially so-called flavonoids, as triggers for headaches. There are around ten times more of these in red wines than in white wines.
This theory is contradicted by the fact that fruits such as cherries, plums and berries also contain high amounts of flavonoids. As do, for example, kale, eggplant, soy or black and green tea. Products that are known not to cause headaches after consumption.
Type of wine growing determines the flavanoid content in red wine
Mulled wine can also cause headaches. Co-study author Waterhouse emphasizes to Eurekalert that the flavonoid content can vary greatly from red wine to red wine. For example, red wines from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety from California’s Napa Valley have high levels of quercetin.
The number of flavonoids contained in a red wine depends primarily on the amount of sunlight the grapes are exposed to during their ripening process.
“If you grow grapes in a way that exposes them to sunlight, as is the case with Cabernets in Napa Valley, you get a much higher level of quercetin. In some cases it can be four to five times higher than in other wines,” says Waterhouse.
Headaches caused by red wine: Many research questions remain unanswered
According to the researchers, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the causes of headaches caused by drinking red wine. It is still not clear why some people are more susceptible to this than others. This also applies to migraine patients after consuming red wine.
According to current research, it also remains unclear whether the enzymes of people who suffer from red wine headaches are more easily inhibited by quercetin. Or whether this population group is simply more easily affected by an accumulation of the toxin acetaldehyde.
From a research perspective, the study results now published could bring long-awaited progress in the question of the causes of red wine-related headaches: “If our hypothesis proves true, we have the means to address these important questions,” states Waterhouse.
In the next step, the scientists plan to determine whether the quercetin content is really the main reason for headaches caused by red wine. To do this, they want to test red wines with high levels of quercetin and red wines with low levels of the flavonoid on test subjects.
By the way, red wine is no longer considered healthier than white wine. According to a study, no differences could be found, especially when it comes to the risk of cancer. In general, you should only drink in moderation – or you can avoid alcohol completely. According to the alcohol recommendation of the German Center for Addiction Issues (DHS), every sip is harmful. According to the German Nutrition Society, there is no such thing as healthy alcohol consumption. With our tips you can manage to drink less alcohol.
Edited by Lea Hermann
Read more on Techzle\.com:
- What helps against a hangover? Tips and home remedies for drinking too much alcohol
- Doing sports with a hangover? Whether exercise makes sense now
- A beer every day: these are the consequences for the psyche and body
** marked with ** or orange underlined Links to sources of supply are partly partner links: If you buy here, you are actively supporting Techzle\.com, because we then receive a small part of the sales proceeds. More info.