New research suggests that a flavonol naturally occurring in red wines may interfere with the body’s ability to metabolize alcohol, leading to headaches for some people. The study published in the journal Scientific Reports found that quercetin, a plant compound found in fruits and vegetables including grapes, berries, onions, and broccoli, is the culprit behind this phenomenon. The study’s authors aimed to uncover why headaches after imbibing just one or two glasses of red wine can even happen to people who don’t get headaches from other alcoholic beverages. They studied how the flavonol may affect an enzyme variant in the body’s metabolism of alcohol, particularly in individuals of East Asian descent with a genetic deficiency.
The study has generated ideas about the potential processes involved in the relationship between red wine and headaches, however, experts who were not involved in the research urge caution. They characterize the study as a proposition of a theory rather than proof, especially since the study was only done in a lab and the substances were tested in concentrations several times higher than that found in blood after drinking wine. Nonetheless, the authors plan to test their hypothesis in a small clinical trial of people who develop headaches after drinking red wines with high amounts of quercetin, as opposed to those with little. In light of these findings, experts emphasize the importance of moderation in alcohol consumption and suggest experimenting with different wines made by various producers and grape varieties to find those with lower levels of compounds that may trigger headaches.
