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Do you enjoy drinking red wine? So chances are you might have suffered a headache the next day. The red wine headache phenomenon is a story as old as time. Over the years, several components of red wine have been blamed for this reaction, including sulfites, biogenic amines, and tannins. However, according to new research led by Andrew Waterhouse and Apramitha Devi of the University of California-Davis, the culprit is someone you might not have thought about.
Why do you get headaches after drinking red wine?
Sulfites, biogenic amines, and tannins have been popular scapegoats for red wine-induced headaches. However, this study found that the grape skin and seeds contain many other phenolic compounds that make it through the winemaking process into red wine. So, any one of them could be the culprit.
According to research, when people drink red wine, the skin turns red along with headaches due to alcohol. This is caused by a delay in the metabolic phase as the body digests the alcohol. Alcohol digestion occurs in two stages – first, ethanol is converted to acetaldehyde, and then the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzyme converts acetaldehyde to acetate.
This second phase is slower for people with red skin because their ALDH is inefficient, the researchers said. This leads to the accumulation of acetaldehyde, a somewhat toxic compound that is also linked to hangovers.
What the study found
So, was there something unique in red wine that was slowing down that second metabolic step, causing the headache? Among the list of phenolics abundant in red wine, they found quercetin to be a good inhibitor of ALDH. It is found in the skin of grapes. It is more abundant in red than white wines because the skins of red grapes survive longer during fermentation than the skins of white grapes.
Researchers tested whether quercetin slowed the process of breaking down acetaldehyde by ALDH, along with some other phenolics. Tests confirmed the theory. According to studies, when we absorb quercetin from food or wine, most of it is converted into glucuronide by the liver so that it can be quickly eliminated. However, quercetin glucuronide interferes with the metabolism of alcohol in your body. This disruption means that excess acetaldehyde circulates, causing inflammation and headaches.
Additionally, grapes exposed to the sun produce more quercetin, and many inexpensive red wines are made from grapes that see less sunlight.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions you may have about a medical condition.
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