Imagine, you invite friends over for a meal and when it is time to serve the wine, one of your guests tells you he is allergic. So he's going to stick with another drink. Is this an excuse not to drink alcohol, or a real pathology? This is the question posed by Manon, 37, auditor of Europe 1, who experienced this situation not long ago. In "Without Appointment" this Wednesday, doctor Jimmy Mohamed answers him.
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Intolerance rather than allergy
"Being allergic to wine is very rare", explains the specialist straight away, who sees it more as "intolerance to sulphites", these sulfur-based preservatives that are found in many foods. They are present "in wine, rather white, champagne, but also dried apricots, or even mustard". "Sulphite intolerance will mimic an allergy and its symptoms, with urticaria, a cough, a runny nose, conjunctivitis ..." But Jimmy Mohamed insists, "it is an intolerance", the mechanism is therefore different.
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Possible tests
How, then, do you know if you are intolerant? The doctor recommends observing the list of ingredients in the foods you eat to spot sulfites and then see if there is a reaction. On the labels, sulphites are hidden under the names "E-220 to E-228". It is also possible to take a test in the hospital: "You will be ingested with a little lemon to assimilate it." And if this test is positive, you are intolerant. In this case, no miracle, "we will tell you to avoid taking it".