Pollen counts have skyrocketed this month – signaling the start of six months of misery for millions of hay fever sufferers.
But could changing your diet and avoiding certain foods help you avoid the constant runny nose and watery eyes?
Here, MailOnline examines which foods you should stay away from if you don’t want to make your cold worse.
Blue cheese, red wine and bacon, and fruit can trigger hay fever symptoms due to their high levels of histamine and pollen
aged cheese
That’s not good news for cheese lovers, as experts say the histamines in cheese can wreak havoc on people with hay fever.
Histamine is the chemical that triggers an allergic reaction.
Normally, histamine is released when the body detects something harmful, such as an infection. It causes blood vessels to dilate and skin to swell to protect the body.
But in allergy sufferers, the body mistakes harmless things such as pollen, dust or animal hair for a threat and produces histamine.
This causes the familiar allergy symptoms of itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing and skin rashes.
But histamines are also found in some cheeses, particularly aged and fermented cheeses.
According to a 2019 article published in Scientific Reports, histamine is made by bacterial microbes that grow on the rind of aged cheese to help it ripen and protect it from harmful pathogens.
dr Adrian Morris, an allergy specialist at Surrey Allergy Clinic, said: “When you have an allergy and you react to the pollen, you release histamine.
“Then if you eat foods rich in natural histamine, you’re more likely to have slightly worse symptoms.”
Cheeses like Stilton, Roquefort, Parmesan, Blue Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Feta, and even plain yogurt can trigger this histamine response in some people.
But he added that not all dairy products cause this problem.
dr Morris said: “It has to be fermented milk. You don’t have to do without milk and cottage cheese, because that’s not a problem in these foods.”
red wine
Just like fermented cheese, wine is full of histamines.
“If you’re drinking a glass of red wine and you have hay fever, you’re going to sneeze more often,” says Dr. Morris.
Histamine is produced during the fermentation and aging process of wine.
But red wine contains 20 to 200 percent more histamines than white wine, according to Drinkwell.
Red wine has between 60 and 3,800 micrograms of histamine per liter. For comparison: white wine has 3 to 120 micrograms per liter.
This is thought to be because red wine is fermented with seeds and skins, creating higher levels of tannins — another potential irritant that creates more histamine.
In addition to red wine, apple cider, real ale, and even balsamic vinegar all have the potential to worsen hay fever symptoms, says Dr. Morris.
But beer may not have as much impact as wine. That’s because beer contains between 21 and 305 micrograms of histamines per liter, according to Drinkwell.
Cured Meat
Bacon could be taken off the menu if you find it aggravating your symptoms.
That’s because cured meats like salami, pepperoni, and processed ham are high in histamines.
Chicken livers, pies, processed chicken, and leftover meats can also cause a reaction, says Dr. Morris.
He explained: “They contain naturally occurring histamine, so when you eat them you’re filling your body with histamine. You could have a combination of these, and the levels can go up slightly.
“Most people metabolize it well and it’s not a problem. But some people might sneeze more and get itchy more.”
Experts say if you then eat foods naturally high in histamine, you’re more likely to have slightly worse symptoms. These include cured meats and aged cheeses like the blue cheese pictured above
He found that fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel, caviar, pickled herring, and oysters can increase your histamine levels.
And how those foods are cooked could also affect how severely you experience hay fever symptoms, according to a 2017 Korean study published in the Annals of Dermatology.
For example, grilled pork had the highest histamine levels compared to uncooked or cooked pork, where histamine levels dropped by 60 percent.
Chocolate
Chocolate is believed to trigger the worst enemy of hay fever sufferers – histamine.
Even without high levels of the chemical, some foods and drinks can trigger the body’s mast cells — found in the skin, lungs, nose, mouth, intestines, and blood — to release histamine.
Certain foods can also block the activity of the enzyme diamine oxidase, which is involved in breaking down histamine.
According to a 2007 article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, chocolate triggers both of these processes.
This means that although chocolate is low in histamine, it can activate the release of endogenous histamine.
Chocolate also contains other biogenic amines — chemicals in food of which histamine is one type — that slow the breakdown of histamine, according to Fig, an app that helps people with dietary restrictions.
melon
The refreshing summer fruit may not be the best snack for hay fever sufferers.
Regardless of the effects of histamine, certain fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains can trigger hay fever symptoms, says Dr. Morris.
Oral allergy syndrome, also known as pollen-food syndrome, occurs when the body mistakes the pollen structure of foods for that found in trees, grass, and weeds.
Oral Allergy Syndrome is a form of hay fever caused by certain types of pollen, the three main ones being birch, grasses and ragweed. Melon is a major culprit for those with pollen food syndrome, as it’s bad for those who are sensitive to both grass and ragweed pollen
What causes hay fever and what are the symptoms?
Hay fever affects millions of people. It’s an allergic reaction to pollen, typically when it comes into contact with the mouth, nose, eyes, and throat.
Hay fever symptoms are worse between March and September, when pollen counts are at their highest.
The graphic explains how pollen can give you an allergic reaction such as sneezing and coughing
What are the symptoms?
- Unlike a cold, which only lasts a week or two, hay fever lasts for months
- sneezing and coughing
- Itchy, red or watery eyes
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
- loss of smell
- feel tired
- Headache
- earache
Source: NHS
This cross-reaction means that the immune system recognizes the dietary protein as an allergen and triggers an allergic reaction.
Symptoms can include swollen lips, an itchy mouth, and an itchy inner ear.
A whole range of fruits can trigger this reaction, but melon is a major culprit for those with pollen food syndrome, as it’s bad for those who are sensitive to both grass and ragweed pollen.
If you are sensitive to birch pollen, foods such as apples, carrots, parsnips, pears, onions, tomatoes, wheat, celery, fennel, peanuts, walnuts, peaches, potatoes, and kiwis, among others, may cause a reaction.
Other pollen can also cause itching.
Grass pollen reactions can be triggered by melon, orange and tomato.
Mugwort pollen reactions can be caused by celery and watermelon.
Ragweed pollen can also trigger a reaction from bananas, honey, chamomile tea, and sunflower seeds.
But these allergy symptoms vary from person to person.
dr Morris said, “People with this condition don’t respond to all foods, but they can respond to four or five of them.”
He added: “Only cut things if you find it’s a problem, but I wouldn’t avoid all of these foods because they may not be reactive.
“Some people are allergic to pollen and grasses and don’t react to the fruit. But it’s good to be aware of them.”
However, just like histamines in meat, the way you prepare your food plays a role when it comes to pollen allergies.
dr Morris said: “If you cook the food, you can reduce the allergy.
“People say if they peel potatoes they get itchy hands and sneeze, but if they eat a bare potato they’re fine.
“That’s because heating damages the protein, so they’re less of a problem.”
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