Here's why hay fever sufferers probably shouldn't drink alcohol
There's scientific proof
If you suffer from hay fever, you may have noticed that a summer's evening in a beer garden with your friends isn't exactly the idyllic pastime that it is for everyone else. Unfortunately, it turns out that drinking alcohol actually makes hay fever worse.
As if having hay fever could get any worse.
Dr. Pixie McKenna, who became famous after working on Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies, told Cosmopolitan UK that it's to do with histamines - a word that hay fever sufferers will be well aware of.
She said, "When our immune system reacts, it releases a chemical called histamine as an alert to something that it identifies as harmful to the body. Alcoholic drinks contain histamine, the very substance we are trying to defend ourselves against in the hay fever cycle."
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She added, "Given alcohol contains varying amounts of histamine, it is counter intuitive to ingest histamines in drinks while simultaneously taking antihistamines by mouth, as one contradicts the other."
She also revealed that drinking alcohol after taking antihistamines was a bad idea, as it can increase the "potentially sedative effects" of the tablets - which would not be ideal if you're out in a beer garden with your mates.
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But Huffington Post UK also report that drinking alcohol can make you more sensitive to pollens, which will of course make your reactions even worse.
If you're determined to drink and sneeze, it's worth noting that some alcohols contain more histamines than others. Spirits such as vodka, rum and gin don't contain as much histamine as ciders, beers and wines - and red wine is the worst as its levels of histamines are high.