Scientists try to put an end to 'red wine headache'

BERKELEY -- The effects are all too familiar: A fancy dinner, some fine wine and then, a few hours later, a racing heart and a pounding headache.

But a device developed by UC Berkeley researchers could help avoid the dreaded "red wine headache."

Chemists working with NASA-funded technology designed to find life on Mars have created a device they say can easily detect chemicals that many scientists believe can turn wine and other beloved indulgences into ingredients for agony.

The chemicals, called biogenic amines, occur naturally in a wide variety of aged, pickled and fermented foods prized by gourmet palates, including wine, chocolate, cheese, olives, nuts and cured meats.

"The food you eat is so unbelievably coupled with your body's chemistry," said Richard Mathies, who described his new technology in an article published Thursday in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

Scientists have nominated several culprits for "red wine headache," including such amines as tyramine and histamine, although no conclusions have been reached.

Still, many specialists warn headache sufferers away from foods rich in amines, which also can trigger sudden episodes of high blood pressure, heart palpitations and elevated adrenaline levels.

People who take a class of antidepressants known as MAOI inhibitors, which block the body's ability to break down amines, are at special risk of dangerous blood pressure spikes from wine, cheese and other foods.

The detector could prove useful to those with amine sensitivity, said Beverly McCabe, a clinical dietitian and co-author of "Handbook of Food-Drug Interactions," a book cited by the study for its descriptions of the effects of amines on the brain.

The prototype -- the size of a small briefcase -- uses a drop of wine to determine amine levels in five minutes, Mathies said. A startup company Mathies co-founded is working to create a smaller device the size of a personal digital assistant that people could take to restaurants and test their favorite wines.

The researchers found the highest amine levels in red wine and sake and the lowest in beer. For now, the device only works with liquids.

Mathies suggests the device could be used to put amine levels on wine labels.

But wine makers have resisted efforts to force them to label their bottles with a variety of information about nutrition and possible allergens, arguing it could disrupt the winemaking process.

"We're aware of the consumer demand for information. But that has to be tempered by the manner in which wine is made," said Wendell Lee, general counsel for the Wine Institute, an industry trade group.

Mathies also wants to refine the detector so that it could be used as a handheld test for a wider variety of chemicals and contaminants in food, such as E. coli, to monitor food supply safety.

In the meantime, he said diners worried about headaches and high blood pressure but unwilling to swear off wine altogether could at least use the detector to imbibe with less anxiety.

"Behavior is a key element of health, and behavior modification is really difficult," Mathies said.

"Moving from having that glass of wine in the evening to not having that glass of wine is really hard to do."