Sulfites, Or Why Do I Have A Headache?
This is the second installment of "Boring Crap You Never Wanted To Know In This Much Detail", inspired by Jeff Morgan's "Pride And Prejudice" column in the August issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine.In my first missive in this series, "High Alcohol & A Hot Finish" I hypothesized that a hot finish in a wine is not due to a high ethanol content, but due to the presence of small quantities of higher alcohols and ketones (congeners) produced by stressed yeast and bacteria. Turns out that this previous discussion is germane to the current topic.
Are You Allergic To Sulfites?
I hear this all the time in the Tasting Salon -- "I can't drink much wine; it gives me a headache. I think I'm allergic to the sulfites." I don't know how this myth got started, but I sure would like to dispel it once and for all. You are not allergic to sulfites.
At least, the chances are 100,000 to 1 that you are not. And if you are in that 99.9999th percentile you KNOW it. You knew it when you woke up in the hospital after nearly dying of suffocation from your first trip to a salad bar or your first bite of dried fruit (potentially loaded with metabisulfite, to prevent browning).
People who are allergic to sulfites go into anaphylactic shock when they are exposed to them -- they choke to death. So far as I know there is no research to support the existence of a range of reaction to sulfite allergy. "Allergic to sulfites" equals anaphylaxis; no choking -- no allergy.
I will allow the possibility that there could be a lesser physiological reaction, but I have not seen any sort of intermediate in myself or any of the hundreds of people I have worked with in all my years in the winery cellar. And in the cellar we not only ingest sulfites, but frequently breathe in clouds of sulfur dioxide -- a much harsher test of sensitivity. Reactions may be choking and burning throat and eyes, but never headache.
You can do your own test at home (but only if you know you are not susceptible to anaphylaxis!). Light a kitchen match in a closed space and breathe in the fumes. If you develop a headache similar to the one you get when you drink wine, post a comment and let us know.
And by the way, everything fermented has a small amount of sulfites in it, because yeast produce sulfite as a metabolic by-product. Some wine yeast produce more than others. But every wine -- even "organic" wines labeled with "no sulfites" -- have some sulfites in them. So other fermented foods (bread, yogurt, kimchee, etc.) should give you a headache as well.
As an aside: "organic" wine -- I don't get the attraction. I know I can grow a better wine grape organically, and be more responsible to my neighbors and our descendents as a consequence. But nobody can make a better wine, nor lessen the impact of winemaking on the environment, by doing it "organically". In fact, since organic producers can't add sulfur dioxide to their musts or juices to inhibit spoilage, their wines are always at risk for having a higher congener content, as well as higher contents of biogenic amines (more on these below).
Do You Feel Flushed?
Some people do get flushed shortly after drinking some wine. This is a histamine response. If you are one of these people, the chances are good that this flush is more pronounced with red wines than with whites. If you are one of these folks there is a pretty good chance you have an allergy to tannins, which are more concentrated in reds than whites.
This kind of allergy is likely to lead to plugged sinuses and perhaps sinus headache. You definitely don't want to drink alcohol on top of most antihistamines, but maybe Claritin or one of the similar anti-allergy medications might help prevent this kind of headache.
Aaaaargh! Migraine!
Wine -- like all fermented foodstuffs -- also contains small amounts of compounds called biogenic amines. These are related to histamine and have similar effects on the body, including causing inflammation and vasoconstriction. In some people, sensitivity to these compounds triggers full-blown migraines (you know who you are).
Even if you don't get migraines, these biogenic amines create a physiological effect that may increase the unpleasantness of your headache. And stressed yeast (see my earlier post) pump out more biogenic amines. Your high-alcohol, native-fermented, "organic" wine is probably loaded with them.
But My Head Hurts!
In his column Jeff Morgan put it bluntly: "Most headaches are due to over-consumption -- otherwise known as a hangover." Wine is so easy to drink that it is easy to overdo it. Among the toxic effects of ethanol: it is a diuretic, and it also enhances the production of prostaglandins -- the body's pain messengers.
And then those congeners (that might be present in higher concentrations in high-alcohol wines) are even more toxic than ethanol. Congeners at very low levels are almost guaranteed to give you a headache.
So if you want to avoid this headache, first, drink less -- especially if the wine has a hot finish. Second, drink water to keep from getting dehydrated. And third, take a couple of aspirins (if it is OK with your doctor!) before you go to sleep -- aspirin inhibits prostaglandin synthesis.
For the last installment of "Boring Crap You Never Wanted To Know In This Much Detail" I'm going to delve into "Unfined & Unfiltered: Philosophy Meets Reality"
12 Comments:
Just a comment that there are people—like me—out there who suffer from a sulfite intolerance. I'm not allergic and for that matter have never had a headache from wine, but since my first glass in college I've had the almost immediate reaction of flushed skin and vomiting. I'm willing to consider that it may be the tannins instead of the sulfites, but the symptoms definitely exist!
This article:
http://foxnews.webmd.com/content/
article/61/67474?src=rss_foxnews
has a good overview of allergy vs. intolerance.
i don't understand how you can say that no one is allergic to sulfites. where's your scientific proof? also, allergy does not equal anaphylaxis only. allergies encompass so many different reactions, and everyone has a different severity of their response to an allergen. i don't know where you got your information but maybe you should reevaluate it.
An interesting article, but the fact remains that Aussie reds give me a head and Spanish and Italian reds do not. Preservative free wines affect me less also. Why?
Thanks for the comments. Responding to anonymous #1: if you have an intolerance to sulfites, then there are a lot of foods other than wine which should cause you to flush and vomit -- especially dried fruits (my favortite test is bright orange dried apricots). Or try the match test -- does the smell of burning matches make you retch?
Responding to anonymous #2: I did state that there are people allergic to sulfites. My understanding as a biochemist is that the definition of "allergy" is immunoglobulin E-mediated release of histamine in response to a chemical stimulus. In all the papers I have reviewed, only anaphylactic reaction to exogenous sulfites has shown IgE mediation. I would welcome the opportunity to see some peer-reviewed science that challenges or refutes this. Please provide me references if you have them.
In response to Paul: which specific wines from these different countries do and don't give you a head? Since all wines contain sulfites - even those that don't have sulfites added in processing - and since many contain ascorbic acid and some contain sorbates, I suggest that no wines are preservative-free. In the broadest generalization, Aussie reds have higher alcohol levels than most of what comes out of Spain and Italy.
The bottom line is that a demonstrable sensitivity to sulfites is rare. If sulfites are the actual trigger, many foods other than wine should cause similar reactions. Sulfites are present in nearly all fermented foods, and also nearly all preserved and dried foods. Sulfite is also generated inside our bodies in the course of metabolizing sulfur-containing compounds -- I recall seeing a paper showing that sulfite-sensitive individuals have trouble with foods rich in cysteine and methionine.
I know that some folks have an unshakable belief that sulfites in wine give them a headache. Nothing I know or write about will change their minds. I just would like to think that other folks are more amenable to reason.
For twenty years I've tried on and off to drink California wines and am unhappy each time--unfortunately. I would love to support California wines and be able to drink them. But, not only do I get an aftertaste with each sip, but I also get headaches from one or two glasses. I have never had that issue with any other country's wine (Italian, Chilean, German, French, Australian) that I've tried. So far, it's only happened with California wines.
I also *know* that I'm one of those rare people who is allergic to Sulfa (coincidentally). If I take it I get a spiking fever. I understand that all wines have sulfites so I must be able to drink some amount of them. My query is, do California wines put *more* sulfa in their wines, or is there something else which is different about them?
Sulfa drugs are a class of antibiotics that, in a few sensitive individuals, produce the allergic reaction (spiking fever, etc.) you refer to. Sulfites in wine are not the same class of compound at all. I have found no peer-reviewed research which suggest that allergy to sulfa drugs is related to wine discomfort.
We aren't doing anything different in making California wine from what is done everywhere else in the world. Australian wines tend to have higher alcohol levels. And German wines - especially spatleses or sweeter - have much higher sulfite levels than what is typically used in California winemaking.
You don't mention what California wines you are having trouble with. Cheap wines everywhere are liable to have poorer aftertastes and greater tendency to cause headaches.
If you tell me that MY wine gives you a headache, while Grange from Australia, Sassicaia from Italy, Montes Alpha from Chile, Jos. Prum Beerenauslese from Germany, Ch. Latour from Bordeaux or DRC from Burgundy do not, I will tell you that it is all in your head - you are suffering from a psychosomatic reaction to the word "California" on the label.
I'm having a reaction in my mouth to something I eat or drink. Red wine has been a constant each time this has happened. My symptoms are a burning on my tongue tip and upper gums. The symptoms appear 2 to 3 days after I consume several glasses of red wine. An allergist attributes it to the sulfites. The allergist tried to have my blood tested for a sulfite allergy but no test was available. I did have a skin reaction to the wine that I had drunk. Any thoughts?
Yes, my firrst thought is that I'm not a doctor of medicine, and even if I was I would not attempt to make a diagnosis on the basis of an anonymous post on the internet.
That said, if I was experiencing your symptoms the first thing I would do is find a new allergist.
Any number of the phenolic compounds naturally present in wine -- especially RED wine -- are known to induce histamine release. Unless your "allergist" tested you for reaction to some of these compounds independent of the wine matrix, and demonstrated that you DID NOT react to then, IMO to suggest sulfites are causing the reaction betrays a serious lack of competence.
Heck, some people get dermatitis -- burning, itching and redness of the skin -- just from contact with alcohol alone.
I realize this article is from last year, but I found it extremely interesting and thought I'd ask a few questions of Mr. Kelly.
Because I love red wine, I'm willing to try just about anything to be able to enjoy it. I never overindulge (brings on a migraine and nausea if I have more than 2 glasses of any alcohol). But to just enjoy a normal glass of wine would be nice. After a glass, I usually wake up with a headache, and a mouth that feels like it has been left out to dry...cotton mouth i guess you could say. I do stay hydrated as much as possible. I realize now after reading your article that it is NOT a sulfite allergy (altho i am allergic to topical sulfa drugs and suffer from mild to moderate rosacea).
So if it is histamines and/or tannins, are there wines out there that have minimal or lesser amounts of these? and i would think it is dangerous to combine an anti-histamine or an aspirin with alcohol. Have you heard about drinking a cup of black tea prior to drinking? I do drink green tea, but this has had no impact.
Terri:
Again let me say I'm not qualified to make medical recommendations. Personally I don't take OTC anti-histamines (they knock me out) and I minimize my intake of aspirin (family history of gastric bleeding). I certainly would not take either directly on top of alcohol of any sort due to potential negative interactions. However, if I were to take these meds I would be comfortable taking both together a couple of hours after drinking, when the alcohol was no longer in my stomach. But what's right for me may not be at all OK for you, or for anyone else.
Where I am on solid ground is in discussing wine contents. Reds have more tannins and other potential allergens and vaso-active compounds than whites and pinks. Big reds, like spendy Cabernets , have more than lighter reds - Pinot Noirs for example.
Teas and coffees also have varying levels of phenolic compounds in them, though there are differences in the chemical structures compared to wine phenolics. I have not heard that drinking tea helps avoid wine headache one way or another, but I perhaps the stimulants in tea and coffee help prevent the release of pain-causing prostaglandins.
Hi, In my 40s I developed an adverse reaction to all types of alcohol - wines, champagnes, vodka, beer, you name it - I've tried everything. I feel fine while I'm drinking and for about 8-12 hours afterwards, but then have what feels like a cross between a hangover and a sinus infection - just from one or two glasses of wine etc., and it lasts for days. I used to be able to drink and I miss it. Any ideas? Many thanks - DB
Ideas, as in possible explanations? None. The only shared composition of all these beverages is alcohol. Personally, if I had a hangover that lasted for days after just a couple of drinks, it would scare me enough to send me to the doctor for a liver function test.
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