Posted on 11/01/2007 7:21:30 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - The effects are all too familiar: a fancy dinner, some fine wine and then, a few hours later, a racing heart and a pounding headache. But a device developed by University of California, Berkeley, researchers could help avoid the dreaded "red wine headache."
Chemists working with NASA-funded technology designed to find life on Mars have created a device they say can easily detect chemicals that many scientists believe can turn wine and other beloved indulgences into ingredients for agony.
The chemicals, called biogenic amines, occur naturally in a wide variety of aged, pickled and fermented foods prized by gourmet palates, including wine, chocolate, cheese, olives, nuts and cured meats.
"The food you eat is so unbelievably coupled with your body's chemistry," said Richard Mathies, who described his new technology in an article published Thursday in the journal Analytical Chemistry.
Scientists have nominated several culprits for "red wine headache," including amines like tyramine and histamine, though no conclusions have been reached. Still, many specialists warn headache sufferers away from foods rich in amines, which can also trigger sudden episodes of high blood pressure, heart palpitations and elevated adrenaline levels.
The detector could prove useful to those with amine sensitivity, said Beverly McCabe, a clinical dietitian and co-author of "Handbook of Food-Drug Interactions," a book cited by the article for its descriptions of the effects of amines on the brain.
The prototype—the size of a small briefcase—uses a drop of wine to determine amine levels in five minutes, Mathies said. A startup company he co-founded is working to create a smaller device the size of a personal digital assistant that people could take to restaurants and test their favorite wines.
The researchers found the highest amine levels in red wine and sake and the lowest in beer. For now, the device only works with liquids.
Mathies suggests the device could be used to put amine levels on wine labels.
"We're aware of the consumer demand for information. But that has to be tempered by the manner in which wine is made," said Wendell Lee, general counsel for the Wine Institute, a California industry trade group.
I can’t drink red wine anymore because of the headaches it gives me and I used to love red wine.
Perhaps it’s this:
“The “Red Wine Reaction” Syndrome
Robert Masyczek 1 and C. S. Ough 1
1 Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616.
A small portion of today’s wine consumers refrain from drinking red wine due to what has become popularly known as the “red wine allergy reaction” syndrome. Red wines were presented, allergic skin scratch tests, and antihistamine treatments were conducted in order to determine the existence and possible nature of the purported reaction. Results indicate the possible reaction is, in the most part, probably not an allergic reaction, but is either psychologically induced or a physiologically toxic action.”
Also, you might like to read this about histamines in red wine and taking an anit histamine before drinking red wine. Some red wines affect me more than others and some not at all.
http://www.gulfshorelife.com/Articles/Gulfshore-Life/2006/11/Wine-World.asp
What about purple wine? Mad-Dog gives me a raging headache.
Uh, this ain’t rocket science. If it makes you sick......DON’T DRINK! DUH!
Oh, that's just the formaldehyde in it.
Nothing to worry about.
I was always a fan of a "full-throttle" Argentinian Malbec, paired with some type of red meat that could stand up to it.
On another note, 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau will be released in exactly 2 weeks. Cheers!
I wait for this with much trepidation. The last 2 years have gone from bad, 2005, to horrible in 2006. Now that my 'all things French' personal embargo is relaxing, I will return to some French wines.
Isn’t there a belief that the reaction is in the small blood vessels and the wine is in effect increasing flow in constricted vessels?
I’m fine with Italian and California produced reds but the Australian ones kill me.
I only get a headache if I drink more than a whole bottle!
I always love the Beaujolais Nouveau release when it comes out, it’s fun, even if it’s not great winie, but I don’t think it’s worth $9 or $10 a bottle. It should be $6 or $7. No more than $8 per bottle.
Malbec is a serious (not series) wine. Argentina and Chile both make some pretty good wines.
Red meat, red wine,...YUM. And it’s real good for you.
Yep. Me too.
So I switched to tequila.......
Two things about red wine — 1) in recent years and thanks to the California wineries, the alcoholic content of red wines has increased from 11.5% to 14% and 2) medium and sweet red wines seem to be the worst culprits for after dinner wine headaches. Another factor to consider is the role dessert sugars play in such headaches — when dining, make a choice: wine with dinner OR dessert after dinner. :)
So, Val, what do you do? ;’)
“I used to drink wine. This girl asked me, “Doesn’t wine give you a headache?” “Yeah, eventually, but the first and the middle part are amazing!” -—Mitch Hedberg.
Incidentally the exact same way I feel about it.
The Beaujolais Nouveau craze only benefits Georges Duboeuf. Well explained: Why it was decided to make the region's humblest juice—a wine mainly borne of its worst vineyards, a wine barely removed from the fermentation vat, a wine that is nothing more than pleasantly tart barroom swill—its international standard bearer is a question that will undoubtedly puzzle marketing students for generations to come. Sure, it generated quick and abundant cash flow for the négociants, like Duboeuf, who dominate Beaujolais...
There are other Beaujolais to be had, but I'm still 'anti-French' in everything except cheese. ;-D
I share my wine.
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