Do you have a hangover after drinking too much the night before? For most people, a hangover after a wild night of partying is completely normal. However, there are people who have an intolerance to alcohol.

Do you feel particularly bad after drinking beer? Then you may be suffering from a beer intolerance.

Although many people suffer from a hangover after consuming alcohol, they still reach for a glass again. Drinking beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages is part of social life in Germany.

However, for people who suffer from an intolerance, one glass of beer is usually enough to trigger symptoms that are far worse than the hangover the next morning.

Does beer cause flatulence? What is an alcohol allergy and can you be allergic to beer? You can read all about intolerances below.

What is an alcohol allergy?

Many people feel unwell after drinking alcohol. However, this is not necessarily because the previous night was too wild, but may be due to an alcohol allergy. If you suffer from an alcohol allergy, it is usually completely independent of how much alcohol you have consumed to notice corresponding symptoms.

Classic symptoms of an alcohol allergy are, for example, palpitations, swelling of the nose or redness of the face. If you experience such symptoms after drinking alcohol, it is quite normal to suspect that you are suffering from an alcohol allergy.

Although an allergy to alcohol does indeed exist, it is rather rare. The symptoms are often not caused by the alcohol itself, but by other ingredients in the drink.

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An alcohol allergy can therefore often be traced back to histamine and sulphites, which are contained in alcoholic drinks. Strictly speaking, however, this is not an allergy but an intolerance.

In contrast to an allergy, in which the immune system is affected, no antibodies are activated in the case of an intolerance.

A so-called alcohol allergy is therefore rather a deficit in the breakdown of certain substances.

Wine intolerance – what is it?

If you cannot tolerate alcohol, this is usually not due to the alcohol itself, but to certain ingredients. It may therefore be that you tolerate wine better than beer, for example, or vice versa.

Did you know that over 7% of the German population suffers from symptoms after drinking wine? This means that many people actually suffer from an intolerance to alcoholic beverages. In most cases, women are more frequently affected by alcohol intolerance than men.

Red wine contains large amounts of histamine. This causes discomfort for many people. Another reason for the intolerance of red wine is the protein LTP. It is mainly found in red wine. It is therefore generally less well tolerated by many people. The reason for this is that the skin of the grapes is also fermented in red wine. The protein is mainly found in the skin.

If you suffer from an intolerance to red wine, beer or white wine could therefore be an alternative.

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The sulphites contained in wine can also be a cause of wine intolerance. Sulphites are naturally contained in red wine. White wine is usually enriched with sulphites to make it more compatible. If you have an intolerance to the sulphites in wine, you must therefore avoid wine completely.

However, sweet wine generally contains more sulphites than dry wine. You may therefore tolerate dry wine better.

Did you know that your intolerance to wine can also be due to an allergy to insects? Young wine often contains small amounts of insect venom due to processing.

So if you suffer from a bee allergy, for example, it is possible that you are also allergic to young wine. The poison is mainly contained in the wine if it has only been stored for a short time. It has then not yet been fully broken down.

Can you be allergic to beer?

Do you suffer from discomfort after drinking beer? Only in rare cases are the hops actually to blame. Just like wine, beer contains a certain amount of histamine. It is therefore possible that you are sensitive to histamine and therefore experience discomfort after drinking beer.

Beer also contains gluten. People who suffer from gluten intolerance should therefore not drink beer. Beer can trigger severe symptoms due to the gluten it contains.

If gluten is to blame for your discomfort after drinking beer, you can try switching to wine. You can now also find gluten-free beer in many supermarkets. The beer is then based on a different type of grain, such as corn.

Some producers remove the gluten from the beer after production. However, this process is very cost-intensive and is therefore reflected in the price.

How does an alcohol intolerance manifest itself?

How can you tell if you have a beer or alcohol intolerance and not just had too much of a good thing? Basically, it is not easy to clearly attribute the symptoms to a beer intolerance.

It usually takes a long ordeal to diagnose an intolerance. One of the reasons for this is that the symptoms of intolerance can only appear hours or even days later.

An allergy is very different. The symptoms usually occur immediately after consumption. However, it is different with an intolerance. In the case of an allergy, the immune system is usually affected. It is different with an intolerance. In many cases, the symptoms affect the digestive tract.

Therefore, pay close attention to your body. You can keep a food diary to identify a beer intolerance. This will help you to narrow down your symptoms. Always make a note of exactly what you have eaten and when and write down the corresponding symptoms.

Many people affected by beer intolerance complain of symptoms such as a blocked nose, palpitations, sweating, reddening of the skin and gastrointestinal complaints.

In rare cases, beer intolerance can also cause muscle pain or headaches.

Beer intolerance test

If you suspect that you have a beer intolerance, you should definitely get tested for it. This is the only way to know for sure whether beer is actually responsible for your symptoms.

Your family doctor can carry out a blood test on you. This will reveal whether you have a beer intolerance. Alternatively, a prick test can also provide information about various allergies and intolerances. The test also provides information about the severity of your allergy.

A food diary is a good way of eliminating certain foods from the outset. Write down exactly when you ate which food or drink. Be thorough and don’t leave anything out. Then make a note of your symptoms and how you feel.

The food diary provides your doctor with a good basis for getting to the bottom of an intolerance.

Alternatively, you can follow an elimination diet. This involves leaving out the food that you suspect you have an intolerance to. However, this can be somewhat more difficult with beer, as very few people are actually intolerant to hops. In most cases, the reason for the symptoms is the gluten or histamine contained in the beer.

This means that your symptoms will not subside despite giving up beer if you continue to consume other foods or drinks that contain the intolerable substances.

It is therefore best to have a blood test carried out directly. This will tell you directly whether you have an intolerance and if so, which one. There are now many providers who allow you to test yourself from the comfort of your own home. To do this, you take a small blood sample and send it back to the provider. They will then test your sample in a certified laboratory.

Why does drinking beer cause flatulence?

Do you suffer from flatulence even though you haven’t eaten any bloating foods such as onions, cabbage or similar? Have you ever thought that your beloved after-work beer could also be responsible for your flatulence?

Drinking alcohol can have a negative effect on your gut under certain circumstances. This results in changes to your digestion. Alcohol consumption can therefore lead to diarrhea, flatulence or constipation.

The reason for this is the conversion of alcohol into sugar. When you drink alcohol, it is converted into sugar in your intestines. The intestinal bacteria break down the sugar. If too much sugar ends up in your intestines, gases are produced during the conversion.

The consumption of beer is known to increase gas production during the breakdown of sugar in the intestine. In addition, yeast and barley are fermented in the digestive tract and therefore also produce gas.

Beer causes flatulence because your body wants to get rid of the gas after it has been produced.