September 7, 2007, Newsletter Issue #61: Why You Could be Allergic to Wine

Tip of the Week

While most of us have heard of food allergies some may not realize there are people with wine allergies as well. If you have an allergic reaction to wine, you should find out all the ingredients that are present in the beverage you are reacting to. Here is what may cause you to sneeze, sniffle or break out in hives after that glass of wine, courtesy of allergy.org: 1. The key preservative present in wine is sulphur dioxide (also referred to as 'sulphites'). It is a naturally occurring compound that is found on many growing plants (including grapes) in its natural form. Bear in mind that sulphur dioxide is present in many drinks other than beer and wine, including some fruit juices, along with various dried fruits. 2. Some people react with hives to the yeast present in wine and beer. 3. Histamine is an amine released by the body tissues in allergic reactions, causing irritation. Red wines contain a wider range of histamines than white wines. Histamine is known to worsen asthma and eczema and to cause headaches. If you think your reaction is due to the histamine component of the wine, then you could consider trying fruit wines, as some of these have lower histamine levels than wine made from grapes (depending on the fruit used to produce the wine).

About LifeTips

Now one of the top on-line publishers in the world, LifeTips offers tips to millions of monthly visitors. Our mission mission is to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Expert writers earn dough for what they know. And exclusive sponsors in each niche topic help us make-it-all happen.