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Daniel More, MD

Beer Helps to Treat Symptoms of Hay Fever

By , About.com GuideApril 3, 2007

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Next time you want another beer, you may have a valid medical excuse: Allergies. A recent study of 20 people with allergic rhinitis to pollens given Sapporo brand beer showed a reduction in allergy symptoms.

Of the participants, 60% reported less sneezing and 55% reported less runny nose, as well as a significant improvement in symptom-medication scores.

Sapporo Breweries Ltd, the company that makes Sapporo beer, has found that their beer is useful in treating allergic rhinitis symptoms because of the presence of hop flavonol glycosides, a natural anti-histamine. The company plans to also study the effects of beer on allergy symptoms related to dust exposure.

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Comments
July 29, 2008 at 5:55 am
(1) Brian :

I’ve had asthma all my life (now 38) and I’ve found that a 12 oz. Budweiser or BudLight every 12 hours keeps my allergy to cats, dogs, grass, dust & pollen at bay. As a result, we have both a cat and dog that live in the house with my wife, me, an our kids I take NO meds for my asthma. I do have albuterol in the house for an emergency, but only need it maybe 3x a year.

April 8, 2009 at 4:21 pm
(2) Bottleboy :

I am not so sure. I love good beer – the traditional European variety – ales – but any alcohol worsens hay fever symptoms. Alcohol dilates blood vessels and with hay fever, it makes nose get stuffier. Its horrible. I skipped alcohol the whole of last year and my hay fever was very mild. I started again from Jan this year (less than 10 units a week), and I already have bad hay fever. Its only April. It will get Worse in June for me.

September 16, 2009 at 11:05 am
(3) ishaan :

what you said is true, I have a very bad allergy from dust & i have noticed that whenever i drink beer, I stop sneeezing & my nose stops running. Thats amazing.

March 5, 2011 at 7:04 pm
(4) Missy :

I’m a runner with bad hayfever, so in the spring I usually turn into a sneezy faucet nose after runs. I’ve noticed that when I have a beer afterwards, my symptoms relieve- but thought I was crazy to believe beer was the cause. Thursday I didn’t have an after-run beer and had a faucet nose for 18 hours; 3 sips into my Friday night beer I could breathe though my nose again and my symptoms completely stopped! If it’s the hops that cures me, is there a way I get it in a non-alcoholic form? I believe it works, but run 5 days a week!

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