What are Histamines? Wines side effects ?

What are Histamines?

Histamines play a central role in localized immune responses. They are organic compounds that your body releases from mast cells and basophils in response to stressors or foreign substances.

In the body, they have an essential role in affecting blood permeability and signaling the body to fight foreign invaders.

The side effects of histamines? You know them already – histamines are one of the substances that mediate allergies and allergic reactions. For starters, histamine release may result in a runny nose, a flushed face, frequent sneezing, and itching. Depending on where they’re released, histamines can also trigger headaches and migraines or stomach aches, nausea, or diarrhea.

Histamines: a necessary yet potentially dangerous compound (Wikimedia)

The History of Histamines

Histamines were first isolated in 1910 by Sir Henry Dale, as he and his colleagues studied mold. After isolating histamines, their pioneering work explored the biological elements of the histamine reaction. They discovered a stimulant effect on smooth muscle from the gut and respiratory tract, lowered blood pressure, and could even induce a shock-like state in animals. 

A few years later, in 1927, Best et al. discovered that histamine is a component of the human body. They found that histamine levels changed in the lungs after an anaphylactic reaction. 

While scientists at the time argued whether the body was releasing histamine or merely breaking down the amino acid histidine, the race was on. Subsequent research concentrated on understanding histamine reactions – and searching for antihistamine drugs.

What happens with histamine in the body?

Histamine release is a natural reaction of the body to a foreign or irritating substance. It causes the human body to react and attempt to expel an invader or salve another stressor. 

Histamine has a close association with an allergic reaction, whether to food, pollen, or some other substance your body sees as a threat. And since histamines aren’t limited to humans, you can also get them in other ways… like through your food and drink.

Histamines studies, conducted in the 1950s showed that two different pathways in the body are activated by histamine. Further, there are four histamine receptor types – H1 – H4 – that histamine affects.

While your body can generally break down low levels of histamine you eat or drink, it’s not a perfect process. If you consume food that’s high in histamines, it’s possible to affect the same receptors that you would with natural histamine. And a lot of those high-histamine foods are fun ones:

• fermented foods
• aged foods
• alcohol (such as wine)
• fish

Histamines in Wine: The Low (and High) Down

Wine, in particular, red wine, is full of histamines. 

That’s a general statement but not an absolute. A wine’s histamine content depends on many things: the type of grape and the environment to how the wine is fermented and stored.

Let’s switch to generalities for a second, and talk about how red and white wine compare on the histamine front.

Red Wine

Red wine, in general, has the most histamine content. (Of course, though, the levels vary between brands, types, and fermentation process.)

Histamine levels vary wildly between different reds, but in general, red wine contains 60 to 3,800 micrograms/liter of histamine. For reference, Switzerland used to set a max concentration of 10 mg/liter (or 10,000 micrograms a liter) to attempt to avoid severe histamine reactions.

This concentration is significantly higher than in white wine. As red wine is fermented, generally, you leave the stem, sticks, seeds, and skins while fermenting. This process leaves reds full of tannins but also causes more histamines in the finished product.

White Wine

White wine has fewer histamines compared to red. The concentration generally clocks in at 3 to 120 micrograms/liter. 

If you’re histamine sensitive, that’s a significant gap. Red wines usually have three times – or more – the histamine concentration versus white wines. That might be the difference between feeling terrible or shaking it off the day after a third glass.

Champagne

Champagne acts more like white wine and splits the difference in histamine content with red and white. Typically, champagne contains a histamine concentration of 15-670 micrograms/liter.

Beer

Okay, it’s not wine – but beer contains histamines too. The same study benchmarked beer between a histamine concentration of 21-305 micrograms a liter.

What side effects do people experience from histamines in wine?

The actual reactions you have to histamines and wine comes down to your own body type, chemistry, and sensitivities. In fact, some people are actually allergic to the sulfites in wine, and their bodies would be producing natural histamines in reaction to their intake.

But to break it all down, the Wand Lab found up to 75% of wine drinkers will have some reaction to the histamines (or sulfites) in the wine.

They classified the major symptoms as:

1.   Breathing: 3% of wine drinkers have had a reaction that compromised their breathing in some form.

2.   Nasal congestion: 22% of wine drinkers had some amount of nasal congestion.

3.   Flushed skin: 29% of wine drinkers reported flushed skin from their consumption.

4.   Hangover: 43% of wine drinkers have experienced a wine hangover.

5.   Headache: 69% of wine drinkers have experienced a headache – even from a single glass of wine.

Note that some folks experience these symptoms with a single glass of wine. You should always enjoy your wine in moderation, but yes – more glasses increase the risk of experiencing any histamine linked symptoms.

These aren’t the only symptoms you may experience from the histamines in wine, however. Some people will have digestive symptoms, or brain fog, among other symptoms – it’s hard to know exactly how histamine (and alcohol too!) will affect your system, so always take it easy.

Histamines vs. Tannins vs. Sulfites in Wine

Histamines are not the only bogeymen in wine. Especially with red wine, you will often hear people talk about tannins and sulfites. Let’s talk a bit about tannins and sulfites and about how they affect your drinks.

Tannins in Wine

Tannins are a polyphenol that occurs naturally in types of plants, wood, bark, leaves, and the skins of fruit. Grapes are (of course) a fruit – especially with red wines, much of wine’s tannin content comes from the skins and stems of grapes which are left with the wine as it ferments. Tannins impart a bitter or dry taste to wine, which is desirable in many cases. You taste or feel tannins in the middle and front of your tongue.

White wine does not have as many tannins as red, but the type of barrel the winemaker uses can cause the wood to transfer the tannins into the wine. Oak imparts an interesting flavor (usually even called “oaky”) because the tannins from an oak barrel will make their way into the wine.

Tannins are the most important PART OF RED WINES WITHOUT IT THEY COULDN'T AGE certain wines especially the oldest ones are always sold in to the market after 10-15-20 years .... the same wine drunk after one year usually due to the high content of TANNINS ARE UNDRINKABLE ! A red wine with Tannins is also to be match with the right food can u imagine having an Indian curry ......a braised oxtail ........ and many others you need a wine with Tannins to help you digest and appreciate the food more . TANNINS ARE GOOD , a wine seller that knows your taste buds and asks you what kind of food will have with ..... he will suggest the best wines for you .

Sulfites in Wine (and Added Sulfites)

Sulfites are present in all types of wine – both naturally and added by winemakers as a preservative. Winemakers use them to help reduce the amount of oxidation that takes place in wine and to help the wine remain fresh during the fermenting and storage process. They also control the bacteria in the wine to prevent the wine from spoiling.

Histamines are by far the biggest trigger for wine drinking symptoms. However, some people are allergic or sensitive to sulfites or tannins instead (well, or too) – only an allergist can help you figure out which one is triggering if you have issues.

Health Effects of Histamines in Wine

Histamines, as noted above, do not affect everyone the same. Depending on your own constitution, you may break down the vast majority before they can cause issues and never experience any symptoms.

For others, they are very intolerant of external histamines. These folks might have a couple of sips of wine and almost instantly get a headache.

Histamine intolerance is an allergic response to the high levels of histamine in the wine. Not everyone experiences the same symptoms, but here’s what you might experience if you’re intolerant:

• Headaches
• Migraines
• Nasal congestion
• Sinus issues
• Hives
• Fatigue
• Digestive problems
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Irregular menstruation.

The most severe reactions (extreme sensitivity) can include the following symptoms,

• Irregular heart rate
• High blood pressure
• Abdominal cramping
• Anxiety
• Dizziness
• Difficulty regulating body temperature.

That’s a load of symptoms for the type of wine that, ostensibly, is the healthier option. Let’s talk a little bit more about how you break down histamines in your body.

Diamine Oxidase and Histamines

Diamine oxidase (DAO) is an enzyme that allows us to break down histamines in our bodies. Sufficient DAO deactivates or nullifies the effects of histamine in your food or drink.

As I’ve noted, some people have more DAO than others. It’s also something you can purchase as a supplement, and consume at the same time as your wine or other histamine-heavy mean. Outside of supplements, DAO is also in some foods – including foods that otherwise have high amounts of histamine.

Are histamines in wine dangerous?

Histamines are not dangerous per se, but they can become dangerous in high enough quantities. That can mean either ingesting too many in food or drink, or in an allergic reaction – or even from anaphylaxis. The responses to histamine in your body can trigger other problems such as raised (or paradoxically, lowered) blood pressure, breathing issues, swelling of the throat or skin, rashes, and other issues.

Histamine in low doses is good for your body. It helps to protect it from infectious organisms and foreign stressors. It’s only when histamines are present in overwhelming quantities that they are dangerous. Chronically elevated histamine levels can even cause disease – too many histamines commonly present can cause new allergies to food, drink, or other things (like bee stings or latex), or even mast cell disease.

What’s the deal with tyramine?

Tyramine is a component of red wine and another amine, like histamine. Specifically, it is generated in the breakdown of the amino acid tyrosine. 

It is released as a chemical in your brain to act on your neurotransmitters and your hormones. It provides your body with energy, but it also raises your blood pressure and heart rate.

Tyramine is also part of the fight or flight response in the body, and you’ll find it often accompanies histamines. In small amounts, it can save your life in a low-blood pressure crisis – but it can turn deadly if you have too much in your blood.

How to Handle a Hangover

Regardless of your type of drink, hangovers are common. Unfortunately, we don’t know the exact trigger, but it does seem that depending on the drink and its components, hangovers will differ in type and duration. One hangover might be vomiting, headaches, and brain fog all day, versus another which might only be light nausea.

Certainly, alcohol drives much of a hangover, but histamine’s after-effects can play a role. Luckily, there are some things you can do to minimize the effects before – and after – drinking.

Get consistently good sleep

Getting enough sleep is crucial for overall good health, but lack of sleep can also affect how an alcoholic drink affects your system. 

When your sleep is disturbed, fatigue, irritability, and headaches are standard (even without alcohol!), along with the other symptoms of a hangover. Poor sleep just makes a hangover all the more likely.

Drink water

Staying hydrated is essential for the body and mind to remain alert and sharp. Drinking wine or any alcohol causes a diuretic effect; alcohol effectively dehydrates your body. While dehydration is only one thing that happens to your body when you drink alcohol, it can make it more likely for you to develop the symptoms of a hangover.

Increasing your intake of water can help reduce symptoms of a hangover or eliminate them, including fatigue, headache, and dizziness. If you are sensitive to the histamines in wine, staying well hydrated can significantly reduce your symptoms.

For more information's MonteVecchio Wines & Spirits is a direct importer of wines and spirits from Italy to China Beijing , I am available for wine consultations for companies HORECA and private consumption.