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Overview
Sensitivity to a particular food, such as chocolate, may trigger or worsen the symptoms of an asthma attack in an individual who is allergic to one or more of the ingredients of chocolate. The same can be said for alcoholic beverages. Although both alcohol and caffeine are known to open the airways, the other ingredients in chocolate and alcoholic beverages can counteract this effect by causing an allergic reaction. It is this allergy that triggers the asthma.
Secondary Causes
Chocolate contains milk and soy products, and alcoholic beverages can contain anything from wheat and berries to nut extracts. All of these are common allergy, and therefore asthma, triggers. Other allergy and asthma triggers in chocolate and alcohol are gluten, dyes, additives like sulphites in wine and natural chemicals like salicylates in chocolate.
How the Allergy Works
Allergies to chocolate and alcoholic beverages trigger asthma in the same way that other foods do. When the food is ingested, the body's immune system identifies it as an enemy to the system. As with a virus or bacterial infection, the body attacks by over producing antibodies that are meant to fight off the enemy materials. These antibodies connect to mast cells and together they produce histamine, which is the root of all allergies.
Histamine is the Culprit
The histamine can cause symptoms like inflammation in the airway, constricted bronchial tubes or excess mucus production in the respiratory system---all symptoms of asthma. It is that histamine that counteracts the beneficial properties of caffeine in chocolate and the alcohol in the alcoholic beverages. Depending on the severity of the food allergy, other symptoms aside from the asthma may appear. These include hives as well as swelling of the face and esophagus.
Reflux Angle
Another reason chocolate can worsen asthma symptoms is chocolate can worsen acid reflux. Chocolate can relax the muscular ring known as the sphincter. When this happens, stomach acid goes up into the throat. This reflux triggers an asthma attack. Alcoholic beverages like beer can also cause reflux.
Get Tested
Seeing a doctor is the only way to definitively diagnose extrinsic or food-induced asthma. The doctor can perform an allergy test, using either a blood sample or a skin stick test. However, a negative result to chocolate allergies does not necessarily mean that other ingredients in chocolate can't trigger the asthma if ingested in other products. That is why the doctor will test for several other common allergens at first. The subsequent rounds of allergy testing are used to narrow down the exact culprits in the chocolate or alcoholic beverage that triggers your asthma.
