We’ve all heard the rumours – a little wine is good for us. Whether it’s based on scientific fact, hopeful rumours or just plain wishful thinking, it’s quite a pleasant thought. And while it won’t be popular among wine enthusiasts there is now some evidence that drinking wine could have some effect in triggering the symptoms of asthma.
We don’t know an awful lot about what causes asthma. There’s plenty of scientific evidence about certain things that can trigger the condition and specific things can create problems for asthmatics, but the jury is still out on the finer details. But an Australian study tested 24 individuals who had asthma attacks after drinking wine to try to determine what had caused it. It was suggested that the problem might lie in natural substances called sulphites.
Sulphites are natural substances used as preservatives in food and wine. They stop wine from becoming oxidised and turning into vinegar. Sulphites are produced naturally in wine and are also added by the wine makers to preserve the drink entirely. The 24 patients who had asthma attacks after drinking wine were then individually exposed to sulphites.
Only four of the patients suffered an asthma attack – and this was only after being exposed to very high levels of the sulphites. This suggests that while sulphites might be a slight issue for asthma sufferers, they aren’t the main problem.
Another suggestion was that vinegar and acetaldehyde could be causing the trouble. While most wines only have small levels, we know that alcohol is converted into acetaldehyde in the liver. One study revealed that acetaldehyde causes airway constriction and an allergic response in mice. So while more research is needed, it seems more likely that this is the culprit.
Because the aforementioned sulphites actually stop the wine from turning into acetaldehyde and vinegar, they could ironically actually be preventing asthma attacks. This surprised the researchers, who were expecting the opposite conclusion.
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