Allergic to wine?

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Has anyone else had a reaction to drinking wine? This has happened to me more then once. I just seem to break out in a red rash. Usually on my neck and face. Sometimes I do get itchy. It's like it doesn't set well with me. Is there something in it that can cause this kind of reaction. I guess no drinks for me!
 
If it's just red wine, it's probably the sulfates. If it happens with other alcoholic beverages, too, it could be something else. We had one young man on here who was severely allergic to the yeast used to ferment alcohol, and he could only have distilled drinks.

Also, some people have a genetic difference in the way they metabolize alcohol that makes it... less pleasant. Most of these people are of East Asian descent. My husband has the stronger form of this genetic alcohol intolerance, and could get severely ill from one drink.
 
My husband's head gets stuffed up if he has wine. I think it's something to do with the type of yeast that is used.

Tigg.
 
I only had one glass this evening. It was a sweet white wine. This one did give me a slight rash, rosey cheeks....but no itching. Still it isn't good to break out. I don't do well with alcohol at all for the most part. I usually write down everything I eat and drink so I can track if I have a reaction to something.
 
Just an FYI for those of you who get "flushed" when drinking alcohol..there was an article in my local newspaper today saying this is caused by an inherited deficiency in an enzyme named ALDH2 and it is very common in those of Eastern Asian descent. It causes a problem with metabolizing the alcohol and can lead to accumulation of acetaldehyde, a toxin, in the body. There is also a risk for squamous cell esophageal cancer in these people. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism did the research and it was reported in the journal PLoS Medicine this week if you care to look it up. I'd talk with your doctor about this and get more information.
 
Yup, that's what my husband and his brothers have--and his sister in law, coincidentally. (Marrying into a Chinese-American family gets a bit interesting sometimes, but the food sure is good.)

Didn't know about the cancer risk, though. I wonder if it is still present if you never consume alcohol. He's had about 10 ounces of alcohol in his whole life before he figured out what was going on.
 
my sister gets a reaction when she drinks wine, especially red. she breaks out in itchy hives. i will tell you what i tell her, the more you consume a product that triggers a reaction the bigger the reaction will get. one day it can be more serious than just hives so, get yourself checked out so that you can avoid whatever is in the wine that is causing your body to break out.
 
The articlee says that the risk in these people is 6-10 times normal if they have 2 beers a day. So I would guess his risk is is pretty low for someone in this category since he doesn't drink.
 
I react to some sweet white wines. ReRAB upset my hernia more than anything. When i get about 1/2 way thru a glass, i can feel the "flush". I'm used to it now. I usually ask my mom or who i'm with... I just turned red didn't i? The first time it happened (empty stomach), i look like i got fried in the tanning bed. After about 30 minutes (after wine) it went away. This happens to my mom too
 
Ah, that's good to know.

I can't imagine someone with this condition drinking regularly. The way they describe it, it's like going straight to hangover without ever getting the buzz, and the hangover is bad, even from one drink.
 
Well, the article says that some people have only 1 copy of the bad gene, while others have both. The ones with only the one copy can develop a tolerance to acetaldehyde and can actually become heavy drinkers. Can't imagine what the "desensitizing stage" would be like!
 
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