What causes Red Wine Headaches (RWH)?

Low Histamine Wine

WV Pinot Test Results

Histamine <1 mg/L

Typical Red Wine Histamine Levels

Histamine 20-600 mg/L

According the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, approximately 1% of the population has histamine intolerance. Histamine intolerance is due to an inhibited ability to degrade dietary histamine. Nonallergic food hypersensitivity is commonly known as food intolerance, a response triggered by a food or any of its components at a dose normally tolerated by the healthy population. Currently almost 20% of the world’s population suffers from some type of food intolerance, with lactose intolerance being the most common. Histamine intolerance is the clinical condition that describes the inability of certain individuals to degrade histamine and results in the onset of symptoms caused by its accumulation in the blood. Individuals that suffer a headache after drinking a small amount of red wine may have this condition.

Histamine is a biogenic amine that occurs in a wide range of foods in highly variable concentrations. Foods that potentially contain high levels of histamine are those that are microbiologically altered, such as fish, cured meats, aged cheeses, or fermented beverages, such as beer and wine in which bacteria associated with the fermentation process break down amino acids. The accumulation of histamine and other amines in food is the result of the transformation of amino acids by microorganisms, for wine this commonly occurs in fruit maceration with skins and/or stems being the primary source.

In healthy persons, dietary histamine can be rapidly detoxified by amine oxidases, whereas persons with low amine oxidase activity are at risk. Impaired histamine degradation can result histamine excess in the blood which may cause symptoms mimicking an allergic reaction, one symptom of which is a headache. The ingestion of histamine-rich food or alcohol that increase histamine levels beyond what can be metabolized may induce what is known as histamine intoxication.

Histamine intoxication is a kind of food poisoning that occurs after the consumption of foods with an unusually high histamine content that overpowers available degradation mechanisms. The onset has a short incubation period (i.e., 20–30 min post-ingestion), with symptoms that are generally of low/moderate severity and remit in a few hours.

The involvement of potentiators, such as alcohol, can alter the threshold dose for toxicity resulting in considerable interindividual variability in histamine tolerance. Alcohol, for example, completes with metabolic enzyme binding sites that are also associated with degradation of histamine in the bloodstream.

Amine production in wine is largely related to bacterial load, malolactic fermentation, use of SO2 and general wine cleanliness both in terms of fruit cleanliness and winemaking methods. Wine contains a diverse microbiome of organisms throughout the various stages of production, but is especially vulnerable in pre-fermented juice where the juice is microbially active and during malolactic fermentation before treatment with SO2. We use malolactic bacteria and yeast (Saccharomyces and Oenococcus) that have been commercially selected for very low amine production.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Wines have lower histamine levels?

White wines and Rosé have significantly lower histamine levels than red wines. This is due to no or limited skin contact during fermentation.

• White Wine & Rose ranges from 3-120 mg/L

• Red Wine ranges from 60-3800 mg/L with typical levels being in the 20-600 mg/L range

Can the the RWH condition be cured?

There are no available cures as far as I know, however a low histamine diet seems to help reset the bodies metabolism and reduce symptoms. In a study focused only on headache symptoms, Steinbrecher and Jarisch reported Diamine Oxidase (DAO) deficiency in 23 of 27 patients (85%). In parallel, the authors described a significant increase in DAO activity after patients followed a low-histamine diet for four weeks, along with a remission or reduction in frequency of headaches in almost 90% of individuals.

How can I get rid of excess histamines in my bloodstream?

If you are experiencing a headache that you suspect was caused by elevated dietary histamines, drinking lots of water helps as excess histamines leave your system during urination.

Are Wine Hangovers exacerbated by Histamine?

In a word, yes. Wine also contains several compounds in addition to histamine, collectively called congeners, such as sulfites, esters, and tannins. Research has shown that congeners in alcohol are a major contributing factor to hangover symptoms.(1)

In addition, several studies have shown that histamine, in particular, is one of the possible causes of wine headache and migraine.(2)

The theory is that histamine causes blood vessels in your brain to dilate. As a result, it causes increased pressure and triggers a cascade of events that ultimately leads to inflammation and pain. Histamine definitely doesn’t help with hangover symptoms and is likely one of the reasons why some feel that wine hangovers are worse than other drinks.

Is vitamin deficiency a cause of histamine intolerance?

Some experts believe that a deficiency in vitamin B6 and C is linked with histamine intolerance; these vitamins have been shown to relieve histamine intolerance symptoms.

Why is my body producing excess histamine?

Seasonal allergies are often the cause of histamine production in the body, but foods can also contain this chemical.

Are there red wines that are safe to consume if I have histamine intolerance?

All alcoholic beverages can be problematic for people with histamine intolerance because alcohol can make DAO less effective. Individual sensitivity varies and wine histamine levels aren’t typically advertised on wine. For a lot of consumers who enjoy red wines, the process of finding a brand that is safe to consume is a process of trial and error.