What Are the Causes of Wine Headaches?

Even white wines can cause headaches.

Many suffer from a headache after drinking a reasonable amount of wine. This is often accompanied by some nausea. Although many refer to this condition as a "red wine headache," many suffer from headaches even after white wine. Unfortunately, scientists have yet to find a definitive answer for this condition. Does this Spark an idea?

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Identification
- This kind of headache comes on when a consumer drinks either white or red wine. This is different than headaches that occur from too much alcohol or from an allergy.
Theories
- Currently, the two most popular culprits are the tannins or the histamines, both of which occur naturally in wine. However, there have been studies that have tried to prove as well as disprove these theories.
Misconceptions
- Contrary to popular belief, sulfites are not the cause of these headaches. They only affect those who are sulfites-allergic.
Prevention
- Other than taking medication, there is no solid prevention for these headaches. However, experimenting with different wines from different regions may help you find one that doesn't cause this problem.
Solution
- If you do run across a wine that gives you this headache, the best thing to do is take a painkiller and avoid that wine in the future. If it is, in fact, histamines in the wine causing the problem, antihistamine medication should also relieve any effects.

Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Kyle May

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