Reason for red wine hangover headache revealed

Researchers believe they have discovered why some people get a crippling headache from red wine but not other kinds of alcohol.

Why does red wine cause headaches?

Researchers believe they have discovered why some people get a crippling hangover after drinking even a small glass of red wine but can handle other kinds of alcohol.

The team, from the University of California, says the headache some people associate with red wine is due to a chemical compound in red grapes.

The compound, an antioxidant or flavonol called quercetin, interferes with the body’s ability to metabolise alcohol and thus makes its after-effects particularly brutal.

Affected people report the headaches coming on as soon as 30 minutes after a small drinking session, making them different from a typical hangover.

“Red wine contains much higher levels of quercetin and its glycosides than white wine or other alcoholic beverages,” the study, published in Scientific Reports read.

According to the researchers, when susceptible people drink red wine with even modest amounts of quercetin, they can develop a headache, especially if they are already prone to migraines.

Some people report brutal headaches after drinking red wine, even if they can handle other kinds of alcohol.

Which red wines have the worst effects?

Red grapes make more quercetin when they are exposed to sunshine, meaning that more expensive red wines are likely to be worse for headache-prone people, according to Andrew Waterhouse, one of the researchers behind the study.

“The cheap grape varieties are grown on vines with very large canopies and lots of leaves, so they don’t get as much sun,” he told the BBC.

“Whereas the high-quality grapes are from smaller crops with fewer leaves. The amount of sunshine is carefully managed to improve the quality of the wine.”

Quercetin is found in many other fruits and vegetables, leading the researchers to believe it does not cause headaches on its own.

The researchers still need to prove their theory in humans, having only so far proven that quercetin interferes with alcohol in a lab setting.

They suggested an experiment in which participants are given quercetin supplements alongside a standard drink of vodka, to test the compound’s headache-inducing ability.

Still, co-author Morris Levin said: “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.”

Red wine contains higher levels of quercetin than other kinds of alcohol.

Other causes of red wine headaches

Theories abound as to why red wine causes headaches in some drinkers — aside from, of course, how much of it they drank.

Some have suggested the headaches might be caused by sulfites used to keep wine fresh. Generally, though, the sulfite content is higher in sweet white wines than reds.

Another possible culprit is histamine, an ingredient more common in red wine than white or rose, which can dilate blood vessels in the body and may trigger headaches. But again, absolute proof is lacking.

Roger Corder, an expert in experimental therapeutic at Queen Mary University of London, was sceptical of the new quercetin theory.

He says anecdotal evidence indicates cheaper red wines are worse for headache-prone people, making the quercetin difficult to accept.