Too much alcohol can trigger headaches. However, some people’s heads are buzzing after just a few sips of wine. Why is that?
Many people drink a glass of red wine with dinner or in the evening to end the day. But for some, this enjoyment ends with an unpleasant headache that can occur after just one glass. Experts have been making assumptions about the cause of this for a long time. So far they have not been able to find a clear trigger. A research team from the USA has now published a new theory.
Red wine contains a variety of ingredients that can potentially cause discomfort and headaches. Histamines, sulfur compounds (sulfites) and vegetable tannins are known to cause reactions in sensitive people. But a particular plant substance is now suspected of being the main cause of the so-called red wine headaches: quercetin.
As the University of California researchers reported in their study, high amounts of quercetin in combination with alcohol could be problematic. When quercetin is converted in the bloodstream, it blocks the breakdown of alcohol. This causes acetaldehyde to build up in the body – a toxin that is considered irritating and inflammatory and is essentially the main cause of hangover symptoms such as headaches.
The researchers plan further clinical studies to support their theory. Wines with different levels of quercetin will be examined to determine whether this substance actually causes headaches more often.
Good to know: The concentration of quercetin can vary greatly from red wine to red wine because the plant substance is produced by direct sunlight. In very sunny years and regions, as well as in particularly exposed vines, the quercetin content in a wine can be up to five times higher than in other red wines.