Why do you get a headache after red wine and what are sulfites for?

1 < p>Different products, which they strongly recommend to be avoided, regularly become the subject of discussions between nutritionists and health-care practitioners. That goes for gluten, fats, and starches, now it's sulfites' turn. What it is, whether it is worth excluding them from the diet and whether it is true that it is sulfites after red wine that cause headaches, we tell in our article.

Sulfites are inorganic salts that have antioxidant and preservative properties.

It is because of the latter that they are often used in food production. Sulfites are often found in canned goods, frozen meals – especially vegetables, fish and shellfish. In addition, fresh vegetables and fruits are often treated with solutions containing sulfites. They are added so that the products do not darken due to contact with air and temperature changes and retain their marketable appearance.

However, opponents of sulfites, who call for them to be abandoned, forget that these compounds are naturally found in a large number of products (including healthy ones). Sulfites are an inevitable product of fermentation, so they are always present in soft alcohol (wine, beer and cider), black tea, vinegar, pickles and fermented milk products – especially cheese.

In a word, to completely exclude sulfites from the diet, you will have to try hard. And these efforts will not be fully justified, since modern science does not find convincing evidence of the harmful properties of sulfites. Like gluten (which is still a non grata product for many), sulfites can cause an allergic reaction in the form of swelling, rashes, and difficulty breathing, but in general, this can be said of any product. People without sulfite intolerance (if you regularly eat cheese or frozen seafood, then you probably do not have it) they do not pose a threat, so you should not be afraid of them.

There is a common myth that a headache after eating red wine is caused precisely by sulfites. In fact, science considers this statement unfounded – firstly, white wine contains many times more sulfites (and does not cause such an effect), secondly, the connection between sulfites and the occurrence of headaches has not been confirmed.

The most likely cause of pain is the high content of histamine in red wine. Therefore, it is not necessary to exclude sulfite-containing products from the diet.

If you suspect that you have an intolerance, you can consult a doctor and pass all tests necessary for detection.