Scientists at the University of California, Davis have released a study highlighting why red wine can give some people headaches.
Researchers believe a naturally occurring flavonol in red wines may disrupt the normal metabolism of alcohol, potentially resulting in a headache.
Known as quercetin, this flavonol occurs naturally in various fruits and vegetables, including grapes. Recognized as a beneficial antioxidant, it is also available in supplement form. However, its interaction with alcohol during metabolism can pose challenges.
“When it [quercetin] gets in your bloodstream, your body converts it to a different form called quercetin glucuronide,” wine chemist and corresponding author Andrew Waterhouse, professor emeritus with the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology said. “In that form, it blocks the metabolism of alcohol.”
Consequently, individuals may find themselves accumulating the toxin acetaldehyde, as explained by Apramita Devi, the lead author and a postdoctoral researcher with the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology.
“Acetaldehyde is a well-known toxin, irritant and inflammatory substance,” Devi said. “Researchers know that high levels of acetaldehyde can cause facial flushing, headache and nausea.”
These same symptoms can also be experienced by those who take the drug disulfiram, which is prescribed to alcoholics to help them stop drinking. Waterhouse notes disulfiram can also cause acetaldehyde to build up in the body.
Morris Levin — another study co-author and director of the Headache Center at the University of California, San Francisco — said susceptible individuals consuming “even modest amounts of quercetin” could “develop headaches, particularly if they have a pre-existing migraine or another primary headache condition.”
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Quercetin, produced by grapes exposed to sunlight, can vary depending on production location and style, the authors noted.
“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,” Waterhouse said.
Scientists will compare red wines rich in quercetin with those containing minimal amounts in a human clinical trial led by UCSF, funded by the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation. The causes of red wine headaches remain uncertain, with unknown factors influencing susceptibility, including whether quercetin inhibits enzymes more readily or if this population is simply more affected by acetaldehyde buildup.
“If our hypothesis pans out, then we will have the tools to start addressing these important questions,” Waterhouse said.
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