Signs that your hangover could be an intolerance to alcohol - Drinks

May 26, 2024

Send this to your boss.

Weird news today from the science world: you might not be hungover, you may actually be experiencing an alcohol intolerance. No, this is not a carte blanche for every morning-after-the-night-before, however, some hangover symptoms such as headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and a stuffy nose could actually be a sign of an intolerance to alcohol.

If you experience such symptoms, as well as flushed cheeks and sniffles, after just one or two drinks, there’s a chance you may not be cut out for the hard stuff.

As with many food or atmospheric intolerances, an alcohol intolerance can seemingly come out of nowhere. After years of enjoying a couple of vinos or beers – or whatever your tipple of choice is – you may find one day that your chardonnay is hitting a bit different.

Allergist-immunologist and fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Jeffrey Factor, told HuffPost, “An alcohol intolerance is different from an alcohol allergy. Alcohol intolerances are much more common than a true alcohol allergy.”

“It comes up a lot,” Factor added.

Because alcoholic drinks are the result of complex chemical reactions, conversions, additions, purifications, and anything else you can think of, there’s plenty in your glass that could be causing you to feel all hot and bothered, and not in the good way.

While your sensitivity could be to the alcohol itself, it could also be the result of other compounds or chemicals found in alcoholic drinks like barley, wheat, yeast, histamines, or preservatives.

You may have even heard of wine containing sulphites, a substance that commonly causes adverse reactions in people with sensitivities. Sulphites occur naturally in wine, but are also added by some winemakers to halt the fermentation process and keep the wine stable.

For a lot of wine and beer, fining (or clarifying) agents are added during production to create a lovely clear product, working to filter out small particles like dead yeast, grape skins etc. Unfortunately, a lot of fining proteins used in this filtering process can be derived from common allergens like milk, eggs, and fish.

Maybe just stick to the waters.