| A Brazilian study presented at the annual meeting of the American Headache Society in Los Angeles claims that drinking red wine could trigger excruciating headaches in some people under certain weather conditions. Cold weather seems to affect headaches more than hot days.
A small study examined 33 adult participants who drank red wine regularly and believed that it had caused them migraines in the past. The participants were asked to drink half a bottle (375 mL) of a Malbec, Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wine from South America at least four days apart, reports winnipegfreepress.com.
The results revealed that red wine caused migraine in most of the participants at least once within 12 hours, but different wines had different effects on the participants.
It was found that Tannat and Malbec, which contain higher levels of flavonoids that give them a rich color, caused more frequent headaches, concluded study lead author Dr. Abouch Krymchantowski. "It's a small study, but it confirms what we hear from patients: Wine can trigger migraines, but not necessarily all the time," said Dr. Brian Grasberg, an assistant professor of neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and co-director of the inpatient headache program at Montefiore Headache Center in New York City, according to the report.
It’s not only red wine but several other food products that give migraine habits according to studies. Protein present in milk creates histamines which are responsible for the production of mucus. An excess of this mucus can trigger migraine. Any food items which have high carbohydrates can result in rapid secretion of insulin. This lowers blood sugar levels and triggers headaches in patients with migraine.
Beer, vermouth and sherry are other alcoholic beverages besides red wine that have large amounts of tyramine which is known to be one of the most powerful migraine triggers. It’s good to alternate wine and other alcoholic drinks with a glass of water.
Caffeine is a double-edged weapon. It might give you relief from headache or might trigger migraine. If it gives you headaches, avoid it. Chocolates also have caffeine and other migraine. Aged or fermented cheese, yeast, pickled herring, soy foods, nuts, eggs, oranges, banana, tomatoes, spinach and citrus fruits are some of the other foods having the trigger compounds.
So do all food preservatives like MSG and soy sauce. Bacon, ham, hot dogs, cured meat, oriental foods, sausages, red wine, whiskey, processed meat, pickles and pepperoni have abundant food additives. Usually, tyramine content increases in the foods which aren’t stored properly. Beware of foods kept in the refrigerator for more than 48 hours. The more aged the food is the worse the migraine trigger it is, recommends onlymyhealth website.
Tags: anti-oxidants, flavonoids, Dr. Abouch Krymchantowski, tyramine |