Is Alcohol High in Histamine?

Michael Eisenwasser 4 min read

Alcohol is one of the most common triggers for people with histamine intolerance. But the relationship between alcohol and histamine is more complicated than just "alcohol contains histamine."

Some alcoholic drinks are high in histamine. But even the ones that aren't can still cause problems. Here's why.

The double problem with alcohol

Alcohol hits you two ways when it comes to histamine:

1. Some drinks contain histamine. Fermented and aged alcoholic beverages can have significant histamine content.
2. Alcohol blocks DAO. Even if a drink is low in histamine, alcohol itself inhibits the DAO enzyme that breaks histamine down.

This is why alcohol can trigger reactions even when you're drinking something that's technically "low histamine." You're not just adding histamine, you're also sabotaging your body's ability to clear it.

Red wine is usually the worst

For most people, red wine is the biggest offender. Red wines generally have much more histamine than white wines, though levels vary widely by bottle and vintage.

Why? Red wine ferments with the grape skins, which increases histamine production. Older, more complex reds tend to be higher.

The idea that sulfites are the problem is mostly a myth. Sulfites can cause reactions in some people, but histamine and the DAO-blocking effect of alcohol are usually the bigger issues. In fact, "low sulfite" natural wines often have higher histamine because sulfites help prevent histamine formation during fermentation.

If you're going to drink wine at all, young, fresh white wines are your safest bet.

Beer is a double problem

Beer is bad news for a lot of people with histamine intolerance, and not just because of histamine.

Beer contains gluten, and many people with histamine intolerance are also gluten-sensitive. See is gluten high in histamine for more on this connection.

On top of that, beer contains histamine from fermentation plus other biogenic amines that compete with histamine for the same enzymes. The combination can be rough.

The worst offenders:

• Wheat beers (double hit of gluten and high histamine)
• Craft beers and IPAs
• Barrel-aged beers

Even "gluten-reduced" beers may still cause problems. For most people with histamine intolerance, beer just isn't worth it.

Distilled spirits are your best option (but still not great)

Clear, distilled spirits like vodka, gin, and clear tequila are the safest choice if you really want to drink. The distillation process removes most histamine, leaving you with a cleaner drink than wine or beer.

Here's the thing though: there's no truly safe alcohol for histamine intolerance. Even clear spirits block your DAO enzyme, which means histamine from everything else you eat that day (and the next) doesn't get cleared properly. Most people still feel symptoms the next day or even for a few days after drinking.

This isn't "safe" drinking. It's harm reduction. If you want an occasional drink and you're willing to accept feeling worse afterward, distilled spirits are your best bet. Aged spirits like whiskey, bourbon, rum, and brandy pick up histamine during barrel aging, so they're even worse. Stick with the clear stuff if you're going to drink at all.

The best approach if you want to drink

If you want an occasional drink without paying for it later:

1. Take a DAO supplement 15-30 minutes before drinking. This helps your body handle the histamine in the drink. It won't counteract alcohol's DAO-blocking effect completely, but it gives you a buffer.

2. Choose a clear distilled spirit. Vodka or gin are your best bets. Skip the wine and beer.

3. Use simple mixers. Soda water or plain sparkling water are your safest options. Avoid citrus, sugary mixers, tonic water, and anything fermented.

4. Keep it to one drink. The more you drink, the more you block DAO, and the longer the effects last.

5. Keep your histamine load low that day. Don't combine alcohol with other high-histamine foods. Give yourself the best possible baseline.

Why reactions vary so much

You might tolerate a drink fine one night and react badly to half a drink another night. Several factors affect this:

• Your baseline histamine load. If you've been eating high-histamine foods all day, alcohol pushes you over the edge faster.
• Hormones. Women often react more strongly around ovulation when estrogen (and histamine) are already elevated. See histamine and hormones.
• Sleep and stress. Both affect your histamine tolerance.
• The specific bottle. Histamine levels vary between batches, vintages, and even how long the bottle has been open.

Is it worth it?

For some people with histamine intolerance, alcohol just isn't worth the tradeoff. The combination of histamine content and DAO inhibition makes it a reliable trigger. If you're looking for something to sip socially, low histamine mocktails can be a good alternative.

Others find they can have a drink occasionally if they use DAO, choose the right drink, and keep their overall histamine load low that day.

Tracking helps you figure out where you fall. Logging what you drink alongside your symptoms lets you see patterns over time. You might find that certain drinks are fine while others reliably cause problems, or that alcohol is only an issue when combined with other triggers.

Either way, knowing your personal pattern beats guessing.

Track your symptoms and discover patterns with Histamine Tracker. Includes a database of 1,000+ foods with histamine ratings.