Drinking gin might just help curb your hay fever symptoms this summer

As if we needed another reason to crack open the gin this summer, allergy experts reckon it could be the best alcohol for hay fever sufferers to drink.

Drinking alcohol is actually proven to worsen symptoms of hay fever and asthma, like sneezing, due to its histamine content – produced during the fermentation process and responsible for setting off allergy reactions.

But according to charity Asthma UK, clear spirits like gin and vodka are “better options” as they’re “very low in histamines”.

Gin also doesn’t contain any sulphites – another group of compounds known to provoke asthma and other allergy-like symptoms.

As for the types of alcohol hay fever sufferers may want to avoid: red wine and some beers are typically very high in histamines, while white wine and cider tend to have high levels of sulphites.

It’s not just alcohol to consider steering clear of either. Fermented foods, vinegar, cured meats, dried fruit, most citrus fruits, aged cheese, and – prepare yourselves – avocados are also high in histamines.

G&T anyone?

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