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葡萄酒从出现至今已有数千年历史，在西方文化中，葡萄酒的酿造和饮用扮演着至关重要的角色。在寒冷的冬日，一杯热红酒是不少欧美人的必备饮品，这股风潮如今也吹到了中国，爱喝热红酒的年轻人越来越多。但一些人在小酌了几杯红酒之后，会感到明显的头痛不适。尽管酒精本身是“罪魁祸首”，但科学家近日发现，还有其他因素导致红酒相比于其他葡萄酒，更容易引发头痛。最近发表的研究有了怎样的新发现？
本篇课程首发于2023年12月19日
文本难度：CSE7
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中英文对照版
The Science Behind the Dreaded Red Wine Headache
喝红酒后头疼得厉害，背后的科学原理是什么？
By Dana G. Smith
❶People have been complaining about wine headaches since ancient Greece.
自古希腊以来，人们就一直在抱怨葡萄酒带来的头痛问题。
❷While all types of alcohol can cause headaches, red wine appears to be particularly pernicious. But scientists still aren't sure why it is a catalyst.
尽管所有类型的酒精都可能引起头痛，但红酒的影响似乎尤为严重。科学家仍然无法确定为什么红酒会引发头痛。
❸"This puzzle has been around for literally thousands of years," said Dr. Morris Levin, director of the Headache Center at the University of California. "There are a lot of ingredients in wine that could conceivably cause a headache, not the least of which is just alcohol itself."
加利福尼亚大学头痛中心主任莫里斯·莱文博士（Dr. Morris Levin）说：“数千年来这一直是个谜团。红酒中有很多成分可能会引起头痛，其中最主要的还是酒精本身。”
❹A preliminary study published in the journal Scientific Reports proposes a novel theory: An antioxidant found in grape skins affects how your body processes alcohol, leading to the buildup of a toxic byproduct that causes headaches.
一项发表在《科学报告》期刊上的初步研究提出了新的理论：在葡萄皮中发现的一种抗氧化剂会影响人体对酒精的代谢，导致有毒副产物的累积，从而引发头痛。
❺The new study suggests red wine headaches might be caused by a combination of alcohol and a certain antioxidant called quercetin.
这项新研究表明，红酒带来的头痛可能是由酒精和一种名为槲皮素（quercetin）的抗氧化剂共同引起的。
❻If you're prone to red wine headaches, the simplest solution might be to switch wines. Both green and red grapes contain quercetin, but for white and rosé wines, the skins are removed immediately after the fruit is crushed. The skins are left in while red and orange wines ferment, so more quercetin leaches into the wine. There is some research into which red wines have lower quercetin levels, but there are no definitive answers yet.
如果你喝红酒容易头痛，最简单的解决办法可能就是换一种酒。虽然绿葡萄和红葡萄都含有槲皮素，但是在制作白葡萄酒和桃红葡萄酒的过程中，葡萄在被捣碎后会立即去皮。而当红酒和橙酒发酵时，果皮被保留下来，因此会有更多的槲皮素渗入酒中。有一些研究在探索哪些红酒的槲皮素含量较低，但目前还没有得到明确的答案。
生词好句
1.dreaded 英 [ˈdredɪd] 美 [ˈdredɪd] adj. When something is dreaded, it means people dislike it. Maybe they are afraid of it, scared of it.
The dreaded maths exam is tomorrow. I'm nervous.明天就是可怕的数学考试了。我很紧张。
The dreaded moment arrived. My exam results were announced.可怕的时刻到了。我的考试成绩公布了。
2.pernicious 英 [pəˈnɪʃəs] 美 [pərˈnɪʃəs] adj. Pernicious describes something that is harmful or damaging, often in a hidden or not obvious way.
Violence on TV can have a pernicious effect on children.电视上的暴力元素会对孩子们产生有害的影响。
AI can have a pernicious influence on internet media publishing.人工智能可能对网络媒体出版产生不利影响。
3.catalyst 英 [ˈkætəlɪst] 美 [ˈkætəlɪst] n. A catalyst is something that helps start or speed up a change or a reaction in other things.
The introduction of digital tablets and ebooks was a catalyst for better study habits.引进平板电脑和电子书，促进了（学生们培养）更好的学习习惯。
The discovery of fire was a significant catalyst for human civilization.火的发现对推动人类文明发展起到了重要的作用。
4.has been around for many years
We use this to say how long something has existed, how long has something been alive, or how long have we had something.
The park has been around for decades and holds many memories.这个公园已经存在了几十年，承载了许多回忆。
The tradition of storytelling has been around for centuries.讲故事的传统已经存在了几个世纪。
5.conceivably 英 [kənˈsiːvəbli] 美 [kənˈsiːvəbli] adv. We use conceivably to mean something is possible; we can imagine it; we can think about it happening.
With some effort, we can conceivably finish the project by Friday.只要稍加努力，我们有可能在星期五之前完成这个项目。
The disease could conceivably be cured by using this new medicine.用这种新药很可能可以治愈这种疾病。
6.not the least of which is ...
We use it to say that many things are important, but one thing is more important than the others.
The new job has many benefits, not the least of which is a big salary.这份新工作有很多好处，其中最重要的是薪水很高。
The old house needed lots of repairs, not the least of which was the huge hole in the roof.这所老房子需要大修，其中最重要的是修理屋顶上的大洞。
7.a buildup of ...
A buildup of something means a steady increase over time; usually a slow, gradual increase.
There is a huge buildup of dust under the sofa.沙发下面积了一大堆灰尘。
Sometimes there is a buildup of gas, so we should open the window for an hour.这里有时会有燃气积聚，所以我们应该打开窗户一个小时。
8.a byproduct of ...
When we say that one thing is a byproduct of another thing, we say that first thing is made or produced as a result of another process.
Plastic is sometimes a byproduct of oil production.塑料有时是石油生产的副产品。
Many breakfast cereals are just byproducts of other agricultural processes.许多早餐谷物只是其他农业生产过程的副产品。
9.prone to ...
When someone or something is prone to something else, like a behavior or a condition or a disease, it means they are likely to get it. They are likely to have it or experience it.
Some people are prone to getting colds in the winter.有些人在冬天容易感冒。
Many old buildings are prone to damp and water damage.许多旧建筑物容易受潮和受洪水侵损。
10.definitive answer(s)
We can use "definitive answer" to mean some kind of final clear solution or response. We often use it in negative sentences. So when we don't know the solution and we can't find the solution to a problem, we will say "There's no definitive answer."
When we asked the difficult question, nobody could provide a definitive answer.当我们提出这个难题时，没有人能给出明确的答案。
After years of research, we still don't have a definitive answer.经过多年的研究，我们仍然没有一个明确的答案。
英文原文
The Science Behind the Dreaded Red Wine Headache
By Dana G. Smith
@The New York Times Nov. 20, 2023
People have been complaining about wine headaches since ancient Greece.
While all types of alcohol can cause headaches, especially in people who are prone to migraines, red wine appears to be particularly pernicious. But scientists still aren’t sure why it is a catalyst.
“This puzzle has been around for literally thousands of years,” said Dr. Morris Levin, director of the Headache Center at the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center. “There are a lot of ingredients in wine that could conceivably cause a headache, not the least of which is just alcohol itself.”
A preliminary study published Monday in the journal Scientific Reports proposes a novel theory: An antioxidant found in grape skins affects how your body processes alcohol, leading to the buildup of a toxic byproduct that causes headaches.
Here’s what the science says about red wine headaches and how to stave them off before you sip.
The research on red wine
A wine headache, which happens in the first three hours after you have a drink, is not the same as a hangover, which kicks in later.
One idea is that allergies are to blame for that achy, throbbing feeling. Some people are sensitive to histamines, which are found in many fermented foods, including red wine. But studies testing the histamine hypothesis found no difference in people’s responses to pinot noirs with low and high levels of histamines, or when people were given an antihistamine before drinking a glass of Sangiovese.
An allergy to sulfites, a type of preservative found in wine, is another potential cause, though there are no studies actually proving that sulfites in red wine can bring on headaches. And other foods, like dried fruits and soy sauce, contain more sulfites and don’t have the same reputation.
The current leading theory among scientists points to a group of chemicals known as polyphenols, which includes the tannins and antioxidants that are present in red wines. Researchers have struggled to determine which specific compounds might be the culprit, or exactly how they cause headaches. What’s more, other foods — like tea, chocolate, onions and berries — also contain high levels of these chemicals but don’t have a strong link to headaches.
The new study suggests red wine headaches might be caused by a combination of alcohol and a certain polyphenol, an antioxidant called quercetin.
To arrive at their hypothesis, the researchers looked to another known cause of alcohol-induced headaches: a genetic variant that is common in people of East Asian descent and that leads to headaches, flushing and nausea if they drink alcohol. The variant interferes with how the body processes alcohol, leading to a buildup of a harmful compound called acetaldehyde.
“In small amounts, we can handle” acetaldehyde without feeling sick, said Lara Ray, a psychology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who specializes in alcohol use disorders and was not involved in the study. But when alcohol isn’t metabolized properly, “the body then shows this aversive response.”
The researchers set out to find a compound in red wine that might similarly impede this process. In lab tests, they found that was the case with quercetin, an antioxidant produced by grapes when they’re exposed to sunlight. “We refer to this as sunscreen for grapes,” said Andrew Waterhouse, a professor emeritus of oenology (wine chemistry) at the University of California, Davis, and an author of the study.
The idea that quercetin causes wine headaches is still just a theory, but “it’s a compelling argument,” Dr. Ray said.
However, Vasilis Vasiliou, the chair of the department of environmental health sciences at Yale University and a specialist in alcohol metabolism, cautioned that what happens in a petri dish doesn’t always translate to what happens in the human body. He added that other research has suggested that quercetin can actually help protect against damage caused by alcohol.
To test their hypothesis, the researchers will need to compare people’s responses to wines that are high and low in quercetin.
Preparing before you pour
If you’re prone to red wine headaches, you could try taking an over-the-counter painkiller before you have a glass; one small study suggested that doing so prevented them. But be careful about using acetaminophen or ibuprofen if you’re drinking more than a glass or two — taking them with alcohol can raise the risk of liver damage and gastrointestinal bleeding.
The simplest solution might be to switch wines. Both green and red grapes contain quercetin, but for white and rosé wines, the skins are removed immediately after the fruit is crushed. The skins are left in while red and orange wines ferment, so more quercetin leaches into the wine. There is some research into which red wines have lower quercetin levels, but there are no definitive answers yet.
For Dr. Levin, a co-author of the new study, the pursuit has become somewhat personal — he recently developed the unpleasant reaction to red wine and now seeks out varietals that he hopes won’t affect him. “I think I know which wines might be the more tolerable ones, but I’m not quite sure yet,” he said. “So it’s another experiment.”
