Red wine headache
Red wine headache (RWH) describes a headache, often accompanied by nausea and flushing, that occurs after consuming red wine by susceptible individuals. White wine headaches have been less commonly reported.
A 2025 review found insufficient evidence to indicate that consumption of red or white wine triggered migraine headaches.[1]
Speculative causes
[edit ]Sulfites
[edit ]Many wines contain a warning label about sulfites, and some people believe that sulfites are the cause of headaches and other allergic and pseudoallergic reactions. However, this may not be the case.[2] Dried fruit and processed foods like lunch meat have more sulfites than red wine. Reactions to sulfites are not considered a "true allergy" and reactions more commonly occur in persons with asthma and may manifest themselves in difficulty breathing or skin reactions, rather than headache.[3]
Some wines may be exempt from including a sulfite warning. Wines that have under 10mg/L of sulfites do not need to be labeled that they contain sulfites. This includes added and natural sulfites, like sulfites that come from the soil, or those produced by yeasts during alcoholic fermentation. Wines labeled "100% Organic", "Organic", "Made With Organic Grapes", "Made With Organic and Non-Organic Grapes" or without organic certification may contain sulfites, and must disclose this on the label. This also means that the so called "Natural" wine can also contain sulfites. Different rules might apply in different countries.[4]
Histamine
[edit ]Red wine intolerance is supposedly linked to histamine intolerance.[5] Histamine, a biogenic amine involved in immune responses, gastric acid secretion, and neurotransmission,[6] has been identified in varying concentrations in different types of wine.[7] One study observed that red wine contained significantly higher levels of histamine compared to white wine.[7] However, another study demonstrated that some red wines have minimal histamine content.[5] For instance, an analysis of histamine levels in 100 varieties of Austrian red wines from the 2004 vintage revealed a significant variation in histamine concentrations.[5] This inconsistency in histamine content among red wines, coupled with the lack of reproducibility of symptoms in patients, raises questions about the validity of the clinical diagnosis of headache as a histamine-induced adverse reaction following red wine consumption.[6]
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ Lucerón-Lucas-Torres M, Ruiz-Grao MC, Pascual-Morena C, Priego-Jiménez S, López-González M, Álvarez-Bueno C (March 2025). "Association between wine consumption and migraine: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies". Alcohol and Alcoholism. 60 (2) agaf004. doi:10.1093/alcalc/agaf004. PMC 11826089 . PMID 39950360.
- ^ K. MacNeil The Wine Bible pg 34 Workman Publishing 2001 ISBN 1-56305-434-5
- ^ "Sulphites - One of the ten priority food allergens". Health Canada. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ "Guidelines for Labeling Wine with Organic References". US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Marketing Service. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ a b c Jarisch R, ed. (10 November 2014). Histamine Intolerance. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-55447-6. ISBN 978-3-642-55447-6.
- ^ a b Reese I, Ballmer-Weber B, Beyer K, Dölle-Bierke S, Kleine-Tebbe J, Klimek L, Lämmel S, Lepp U, Saloga J, Schäfer C, Szepfalusi Z, Treudler R, Werfel T, Zuberbier T, Worm M (October 5, 2021). "Guideline on management of suspected adverse reactions to ingested histamine: Guideline of the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology (DGAKI), the Society for Pediatric Allergology and Environmental Medicine (GPA), the Medical Association of German Allergologists (AeDA) as well as the Swiss Society for Allergology and Immunology (SGAI) and the Austrian Society for Allergology and Immunology (ÖGAI)". Allergol Select. 5: 305–314. doi:10.5414/ALX02269E. PMC 8511827 . PMID 34651098. This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ a b Maintz, Laura; Novak, N (May 2007). "Histamine and histamine intolerance". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 85 (5): 1185–1196. doi:10.1093/ajcn/85.5.1185 . PMID 17490952.
