Cocktails Histamine Information

High levels of histamine have been traced in numerous food products such as red wine and French Champagne. During the fermentation process, histamine can accumulate, especially if the wine comes from red grapes known to have more histamine than white grapes (Maintz et al., 2007). Consequently, it is likely that consuming cocktails made from these alcoholic beverages can increase histamine levels. Foods that are matured or aged like hard cheese and offal have higher histamine content as histamine production takes place during the maturation process. Yoghurt and buttermilk, yeast-containing baked goods, mushrooms, and smoked or canned fish products can contribute to escalating histamine content in the body too. Cocktails infused with fruits such as pineapple, papaya, citrus, and kiwi, although may not increase histamine levels directly, can act as histamine liberators. These fruits encourage the release of stored histamine in the body, resulting in amplified histamine levels (Wöhrl, 2006). Similarly, cocoa products, nuts, mushrooms, and seafood are other histamine liberators that cocktail lovers should watch out for. Looking at ingredients that may delay the breakdown of histamine in the body, cocktails containing pineapple, papaya, nuts (including nutmeg), cocoa products, green and black tea might lengthen the period of histamine persistence in the bloodstream. The same effect might be visible with energy drink-based cocktails as they contain glutamate known to inhibit histamine breakdown. To conclude, while some ingredients used in cocktails can directly increase histamine levels or act as histamine liberators, specific components might slow down the histamine breakdown process. Despite this, the definitive impact of cocktails on histamine levels, especially concerning dosage, frequency, and individual tolerance, still needs to be explored further. References: L. Maintz, N. Novak, "Histamine and histamine intolerance," The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 85, no. 5, pp. 1185–1196, 2007. S. Wöhrl, B. Hemmer, W. Focke, Z. Rappersberger, W. Jäger, "Histamine intolerance-like symptoms in healthy volunteers after oral provocation with liquid histamine," Allergy and Asthma Proceedings Ol. 27, No. 5, 2006.