Is anyone else’s asthma triggered by chocolate or alcohol?
I don’t drink a lot at all, but when I do I have noticed my cough and chest tightness really starts to play up and Im finding myself reaching for my blue inhaler a lot. I do eat chocolate a lot, prob too much.. and the same happens although not as severe as with alcohol.
I’ve been putting it down to coincidence, but I’m really starting to think they do trigger my symptoms.. and that I probably need to stop drinking (not a biggie) and eating all the chocolate.. hard but I’ll do it if I need to because it’s so uncomfortable.
I just wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this, or heard or it at all... or am I just going crazy? Haha.
I had a video call with my consultant last week but didn’t mention it partly cos I felt a bit stupid saying it, cos it does seem daft!
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I’m ok on a vodka and tonic, but wine effects me. I was also suspicious of chocolate, so I kept a note on my peak flow chart when I ate it. Surprising it does seem to cause a drop in my peak flow. Cadburys, not so much but Hotel Chocolate knocks it back quite a bit and makes me cough. Shame because they are my favourites!
I can’t do alcohol. I have issues with both sulphites in wines etc and histamine in beers/ciders etc. Learnt that the hard way when I started uni 😅.
Chocolate isn’t as much of an issue for me, if I’m particularly mucusy it may make me feel like it has thickened because of the dairy in it (I get the feeling with milk) and I get it more with some brands than others but as a chocolate lover I will eat it unless I’m particularly bad with my lungs (at which point I naturally don’t want it anyway).
The alcohol is a commonly known issue! (My consultant got all excited when I told him I couldn’t drink... at the time I only knew for certain that cider was an issue, but he wanted to know about wine also and thinking about it communion wine can also cause big issues even tho it’s only a sip!)
The chocolate thing I think is more connected to a dairy issue maybe 🤷♀️. Here’s what AUK said (at Easter 😉) about the choc asthma.org.uk/about/media/n...
And their link to alcohol as a trigger; asthma.org.uk/advice/trigge... It is not just you and it’s not a silly think to mention! For example sulphites are often in squashes (the drink 😉) so you may find issues with that also if it’s sulphites causing the issue.
If you’re concerned or want to talk it over with someone The AUK helpline nurses are great and can be reached on 0300 2225800 M-F 9-5. Alternatively their WhatsApp service is 07378 606728.
It may not be the case, as I know the sulphites in wines can be a classic asthma trigger, but have you considered it might be Acid Reflux? Alcohol and chocolate are also causes of acid reflux, as can be citric fruit, coffee/tea, spicy food, fatty/omega oily foods - like oily fish. Alcohol and chocolate are the 'perfect storm' for those with acid reflux, as the muscle at the top of the stomach relaxes with the alcohol, while the chocolate and alcohol together are bubbling away, this sends acid fumes up the oesophagus and irritates the lining of the lungs, causing an asthma type reaction. This may not be what you are experiencing, but it's worth considering.
Yeah I did wonder this, I do already take omeprazole for this reason but I guess it could that the chocolate and alcohol take it to a level that’s not controlled by my current dose.
I think some people find the continued use of Omeprazole either loses its effectiveness, or some of the side-effects, such as constipation, puts pressure back on the stomach and becomes counter-productive. It may be that something else is causing a greater effect on your stomach acid, for me it was bananas and peppermint, and anything from the 'allium' family - onions, garlic, leeks, chives. When I reduced or removed those things, I was able to go back to some wine and chocolate, without the need for Omeprazole. So it may be worth trying to cut out somethings for a week or so and see what happens. I was able to see results after stopping bananas in just a couple of days.
Very interesting. I have found that the spicy foods other people cooked in the mess room that caused my asthma attacks at work contain salicylic acid. I only made this link in hospital last year when ibuprofen triggered an attack! I am sometimes finding I get a cough and tight chest if I eat extra strong mints.
Wow, that’s so helpful. An Indian takeaway sets me off sometimes but not homemade. Couldn’t work out why and thought it must be something they use. Some foods make me cough and i get very ‘gloopy’ most days - but I don’t react to ibuprofen. Hmmm... 🤷♀️
I only found out about the food when I was looking up ibuprofen. Not all foods with salicylic acid affect me, thankfully, but I do have a real issue with spice aromas. Today I was in the garden and I could smell curry or something (it was strong and I have no idea where it was from) and about 30 minutes later coughing, tight chest, SoB and needed my Ventolin.
I don't drink apart from toasting special occasions so it took me a while to work out why I always felt like I was coming down with something after Christmas, New Year etc. Then I read about sulphites...bingo!
Chocolate isn't kind either but I'm not sure why. I try and avoid stuff containing palm oil as it makes me generally feel like yuk. Alot of chocolate uses palm oil now and cheap ingredients so I just avoid it.
Corn syrup is used widely to sweeten processed foods and drinks. I believe it's more sweet than sugar. It's another item that I try and avoid. I just find that processed foods make me wheeze - anything from Burger King or McDonalds has an instant effect on my asthma.
BBQs were also a problem until we discovered properly created wood charcoal - amazing taste too. Makes you wonder what chemicals are in bog standard charcoal. I realise a lot are made in China but Cuban charcoal is a good option if the British wood charcoal is too expensive.
Alcohol could be due to sulphur dioxide, a preservative used in dried fruits mostly in drinks like wine. Sulphur dioxide is a very common asthma trigger hence why it will appear in bold on food and drinks labels as a warning. You might have also noticed it at a Chinese takeaway on a allergy poster on the wall. Alcohol intolerance - a pseudo allergy is more common than you would think. Both my sister and I have it. It is commonly associated with chronic sinusitis/nasal polyps more than asthma for some reason. I can't have alcohol topically either as it causes bad contact dermatitis as well. If ingested, I first get sneezy and flush, then I get a whistling wheeze and my face starts to really swell and I can barely open my eyes or breath. Reliever inhaler, antihistamine and a cold flannel on face and rest in a dark room helped me get over the worst of it back when I didn't quite understand the trigger but of course the symptoms could have been dangerous.
My sister isn't asthmatic and just gets the flushing. It starts near her mouth and travels down her neck and chest like it's drawing on the outside where her drink goes.
I completely abstain from alcohol by ingestion or topically now. You can get non alcohol hand sanitizer, mouthwash, food items but it can be tricky to start.
Question worth asking yourself, does dried fruit using sulphur dioxide trigger you?
Can you tolerate alcohol sanitizer?
Do you have similar symptoms with other alcohol products like balsamic vinegar?
Note: You're symptoms may not elicit the same response or extent.
As for chocolate you could be intolerant to either dairy or cocoa. Does it get better/worse with dark chocolate vs milk chocolate?
Best of luck. Also, when I took it to my GP back in 2012 they didn't have a clue what I was on about but I have since seen published medical journals. There's far more awareness of it now. They might refer you to a hospital immunology clinic, suggest a exclusion diet or try allergy testing for dairy/chocolate. They will likely also discuss your emotional state. Stress and anxiety are big triggers so it could be that stress is causing the increased appetite for comfort food like chocolate and masking your unresolved emotional stress. I always ramp up my chocolate consumption when stressed a lot of people drink alcohol to mitigate stress. Just worth considering.
Great reply. I defo avoid grapes and dried fruit. Thankfully you can now get fruit free muesli. I believe its the white bloom you often see on grapes and plums for me. P
I probably should have said there are some dried fruit companies that don't use sulphur dioxide in the process they're just more difficult to find. Dried fruit makes a great snack if you have a sugar craving but want to keep it healthy. Bear, urban fruit and non branded sun-dried options are good starting points. They also make great kids (and adults) snacks for packing up.
Thank you for replying. That’s really interesting, I was completely unaware of the effect of sulphur dioxide.
If I’m honest I don’t really eat dried fruit or balsamic vinegar so I wouldn’t have noticed an effect. I don’t have any issues with sanitiser tho. Also don’t eat dark chocolate, only milk.
I just love chocolate and as much as I do eat it when I’ve had a rubbish day.. equally I eat it on normal days.. too much! I might mention it to my consultant at my next review. I think for now I’m just going to avoid it though.
Similar experience. I also found it gets progressively worse. Now if I tried to have a shandy or alternative weak alcohol I would get wheezy within 5 mins. When it first started a it would take a couple pints of ciders or a fair few mixer drinks before the onset of a wheeze. I always put it down to beer gardens hayfever or people wearing perfume.
Hi, yes chocolate and alcohol definitely have an effect on my asthma. I cycle a lot and when I've had a bottle of vino and/ or chocolate the night before then my breathing is noticeably poor. I believe its something to do with sugar and possibly dairy products. Hope that helps.
I can’t be in the same room as certain alcohol such as whisky and can only really drink one glass of two types of alcohol myself before I start with a reaction. I find organic wine better than other things but I’ve become like the alcohol police at home as it affects me so much. 🙁
In the old days, when skin prick tests were used to discover trigger allergens, I reacted to chocolate and oranges, among other things. I also have problems with alcohol, particularly red wine. I remember having skin prick tests at 5 years old, then repeated as I got older, but the last couple of times the chest clinic has used blood and done a RAST test, which is easier but not as interesting lol
Lol. I remember the allergy test I had at 6 when they diagnosed my asthma. Pen drawn grid up both arms pretty much every grid had a white raised bump when I left, although thankfully no food allergies. As a child though I was allergic to certain orange squash drinks (think it might have been a colouring additive) and if it was strong enough I didn’t even have to drink it.
Chocolate is a well known trigger for migraine so I would think that's quite a likely one.
As for alcohol, it would probably depend on what it is, how it's made- ie sitting around in oak barrels picking up mould spores - and the quality, ie cheap wine contains all sorts.
I learnt long ago that mould and substance sin wine trigger my sinus allergies & headaches so I'm sure it could also trigger asthma. We are all different though, while I can easily quaff champagne with no problem others cant.
I've learnt I can drink young reds, Beaujolais, Fleuri, Côte du Rhone but not the old stuff. Some dry whites are okay, Chablis or Petite Chablis, others too but I cant remember! Long time since I could afford it 🥂
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