To Your Health!

I Can't Drink Red Wine
Are histamines robbing you of the pleasure?
© 2000 by Dr. Randy Buckner
Histamine is almost always the culprit in red wine headaches. Histamine is found in the skins of all grapes. Since red wines are in contact with the skins for prolonged periods, they have much more histamine content than white wines. Sneezing, facial flushing, headache, diarrhea, skin itching, and shortness of breath are common symptoms occurring in patients intolerant to histamines after drinking one glass of red wine.

The role of histamine in wine intolerance was specifically evaluated in one medical study. They challenged the patients with 125 ml red wine (equivalent to 50 micrograms histamine), then blood samples were drawn before and after 15 and 30 minutes. Plasma histamine was assessed by a radioimmunoassay. 79% of the patients had symptoms, showing significantly higher plasma histamine levels 30 minutes after the wine challenge compared to controls. Histamine levels were assessed on 52 wines (red, white, and champagne) and in 17 beers by radioimmunoassay. Histamine levels ranged up to 120 micrograms/l in white wines; 670 micrograms/l in champagnes; 3800 micrograms/l in red wines; and 305 micrograms/l in beers. Histamine appears to be causing the wine intolerance.

Patients intolerant to wine seem to have diminished histamine degradation probably based on a deficiency of diamine oxidase or a lack of the enzyme. Diamine oxidase is localized in the jejunal mucosa (gut lining) and is the most important enzyme metabolizing histamine. A histamine-free diet is the treatment of choice for patients with histamine intolerance and chronic headache. As supportive treatment, vitamin B6 (pyridoxal phosphate) appears useful in histamine-intolerant patients, as pyridoxal phosphate seems to be crucial for diamine oxidase activity.

Taking a non-sedating antihistamine such as Allegra or Claritin before drinking wine may eliminate any potential problems. Please consult your Family Physician or Allergist (hopefully not a tee-totaller) and take a copy of this article with you.

Dr. Randy "Bucko" Buckner is a Family Practitioner in Olympia, Wash. A collector and consumer of wine and spirits for almost 20 years, he is a professional wine judge, writes wine articles for the Olympia newspaper, and covers new U.S. wine releases for The Wine Lovers' Page.

June 25, 2000