New Device Can Test Chemicals In Wine That Cause Headache
November 1, 2007 10:20 p.m. EST
Nidhi Sharma - AHN News Writer
Berkley, CA (AHN) -
A new device may make headaches after drinking red wine a thing of the past.
Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have developed a new device that can help avoid the headache caused after the consumption of red wine.
The device can easily detect chemicals that many scientists believe can turn wine and some other foods like chocolates into agents for headache, researchers claim.
Developed by the chemists working with NASA-funded technology designed to find life on Mars, the device helps detect chemicals, called biogenic amines. Amines occur naturally in a wide variety of food including aged pickles, fermented foods, wine, chocolate, cheese, olives, nuts and cured meats.
The detector, the size of a small briefcase, uses a drop of wine to determine amine levels in five minutes and checks with amine sensitivity.
A startup company co-founded by Beverly McCabe, a clinical dietitian is working to create a much smaller device the size which could act as personal digital assistant that can be taken to restaurants to test the favorite wines, the Associated Press reports.
As of now, the device only works with liquids.
According to researchers, the highest amine levels are found in red wine and sake and the lowest in beer. For now, the device only works with liquids.
Richard Mathies, who described his new technology in an article published Thursday in the journal Analytical Chemistry said, "The food you eat is so unbelievably coupled with your body's chemistry."
Scientists believe that the typical "red wine headache," is caused by amines like tyramine and histamine. People prone to headaches are asked to stay away from foods rich in amines.
Amines when consumed can also trigger sudden episodes of high blood pressure, heart palpitations and elevated adrenaline levels.
The new detector could prove useful to those with amine sensitivity, said McCabe, who co-author of "Handbook of Food-Drug Interactions." The book studies the effects of amines on the brain.
Researchers also suggest the device could be used to put amine levels on wine labels in future.
