New Delhi, December 2, 2023: The reason why drinking red wine can leave you with a particularly bad headache has been discovered by scientists.
This phenomenon has been the focus of a study by researchers at the University of California, Davis. Published in the scientific journal Nature, they identified a potential culprit for the so-called “red wine headache”.
Its name is quercetin, a flavonoid compound found in much greater quantities in red wine than in white wine.
Flavonol quercetin is considered a healthy antioxidant and is even available in supplement form. But when mixed with alcohol, it can be problematic.
Writing in a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, Professor Andrew Waterhouse said: “When it gets in your bloodstream, your body converts it to a different form called quercetin glucuronide. In that form, it blocks the metabolism of alcohol.”
Th team also found that different wines had different amounts of the pain-inducing flavanol depending on how much sunlight the grapes had. Professor Waterhouse continued: “Quercetin is produced by the grapes in response to sunlight.
“If 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.”
As a result of consuming this flavanol-filled wine, people can accumulate a toxin called acetaldehyde which causes the painful symptom. Dr Apramita Devi said: “Acetaldehyde is a well-known toxin, irritant and inflammatory substance. Researchers know that high levels of acetaldehyde can cause facial flushing, headache and nausea.”
We’re not talking about a hangover headache, but typically, a red wine headache can occur within 30 minutes to three hours – after drinking as little as a small glass of wine.
Professor Morris Levin said: “We 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.
“We 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.”
The team plan to conduct human clinical trials to get further answers as there are still many unknowns about the causes of red wine headaches. However, it’s unclear why some people seem more susceptible to them than others.
Researchers don’t know if the enzymes of people who suffer from red wine headaches are more easily inhibited by quercetin or if they are just more easily affected by the buildup of the toxin acetaldehyde.
