Drinking a cold beer at the end of the day is intended to help you relax and unwind, but if it causes stomach pain, your experience may be very different. Stomach pain from drinking beer can be related to various conditions, but is most likely the result of histamine intolerance, grain allergy or alcohol intolerance. If drinking beer causes severe stomach pain, stop drinking it and call your doctor immediately. Some conditions related to consuming alcohol could be life-threatening.
Histamine Intolerance
Histamine is a naturally occurring chemical in the body that helps to fight off infection. Histamine is also one of the main chemicals released during an allergic reaction that causes inflammation in soft tissue. Histamine is also found in certain foods, such as spinach, tuna and yeast. Yeast is used during the brewing process, which can produce high levels of histamine. The fermenting process of making beer also increases the amount of histamine in beer. If you're intolerant to histamine, drinking beer can cause stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, hives, flushing of the skin and light-headedness.
Grain Allergy
Beer can contain various types of grains, including wheat, barley and hops. If you have been diagnosed with a grain allergy, you should not drink beer or any other alcoholic drink made from grains. If you're allergic to a grain in the beer, your immune system overreacts to the substance and defends the body by creating immunoglobulin E antibodies. These antibodies attack the grain proteins and attempts to rid the body of them. This causes common food allergy symptoms, such as stomach pain, hives, skin rashes, difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, nasal congestion and dizziness.
Alcohol Intolerance
Alcohol intolerance is a hereditary condition where your body cannot digest alcohol properly. This condition occurs because your small intestines don't produce the proper enzymes to metabolize the toxins in the alcohol. Alcohol intolerance may be triggered by various ingredients in beer, such as histamine, sulfur dioxide or preservatives. The condition is incurable and is treated by avoiding the consumption of any alcohol. If you develop severe stomach pain from beer, you may have a serious condition, such as Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Consideration
Avoid drinking beer and challenge your symptoms by trying other forms of alcohol to see if you develop similar symptoms. Keep a detailed record of which alcoholic beverages affect your body. This will help your doctor determine which tests to run.
