Wondering which drinks don’t agree with you — the histamine, the sulphites, the yeast, or something else? Honest up front: no hair screen can measure how your body processes alcohol. What our £49 screen does is cover 700+ items and flag the alcohol-related ingredients worth exploring first, so one focused elimination replaces months of guessing which bottle to blame. Report within 3 working days of your sample reaching our UK lab.
What this screen is — and what it is not
What it is
A hair-based screening that flags alcohol-related ingredients — such as histamine, sulphites and yeast — that some people find don’t agree with them
Paired with a structured elimination process that helps you work out which specific drinks and ingredients seem to suit your body
Non-invasive: just 9 or 10 strands of hair collected at home, with results within 3 working days of your sample reaching our UK lab
Clear, practical pointers about foods and ingredients that often turn up alongside alcohol sensitivity
Backed by our 90-day money-back guarantee — follow your 6-week elimination plan, keep a food diary, and if your symptoms haven’t improved we’ll refund you in full
What it is not
NOT a validated method. There is no robust published evidence that screening hair identifies which foods do or do not suit you — the report is a starting shortlist, and it is the elimination diary that shows a link.
A test of how your body processes alcohol — it does not measure your DAO or ALDH2 enzyme activity, and it cannot detect ALDH2 deficiency (that needs specialist genetic testing through a clinic)
A measure of histamine ‘tolerance’ — it does not measure histamine or any enzyme in your blood, and it cannot tell you how much you can safely drink
An IgE allergy test — it does not look for true alcohol or ingredient allergies, which are rare and would need specialist allergy testing
A medical opinion or a substitute for seeing your GP
A test that confirms whether you ‘have’ alcohol intolerance — instead it flags which ingredients appear on your report as worth exploring through elimination
Something that resolves a sensitivity — instead, the elimination process is a practical way to discover what your body seems to tolerate
Why Alcohol Reactions Vary So Much From Person to Person
Alcohol intolerance isn’t one single thing — it’s several overlapping sensitivities, which is why your reaction to a glass of wine can look nothing like a friend’s.
HISTAMINE: One common factor is histamine, which is naturally produced during fermentation in wine, beer and cider. Some people produce less of an enzyme called DAO, which helps break histamine down, and for them even a small glass of red can bring on flushing, a headache or a racing heart.
SULPHITES: Added as preservatives to many wines, sulphites can cause wheezing or chest tightness in a small minority of people who have asthma — while in plenty of others they cause nothing at all.
YEAST: Yeast left behind in fermented drinks such as beer and wine can unsettle some people’s digestion too, leading to bloating or discomfort.
THE ACETALDEHYDE ENZYME: There’s also ALDH2, an enzyme that breaks down acetaldehyde (a by-product of alcohol). Many people worldwide — most commonly in East Asian populations — carry a gene variant that weakens this enzyme. But this is a genetic pattern, and it is not something a hair screening can detect; it would need specialist genetic testing through a clinic.
WHAT THE SCREEN DOES AND DOESN’T DO: It’s worth being clear about what the hair screening does and doesn’t look at. It does not measure how your body processes alcohol, it does not measure your DAO or ALDH2 enzyme activity, it does not measure histamine in your blood, and it cannot tell you how much you can safely drink. What it does is flag which alcohol-related ingredients — such as histamine, yeast or sulphites — your report lists as worth exploring first. The reason a single result can’t tell the whole story is that your reaction might be to several ingredients at once, or to the way a particular drink is made. That’s why patient observation over time, through removing drinks and reintroducing them one at a time, is what really reveals which ones your body seems to tolerate.
Sulphites: dried fruit, jam, some fruit juices, pickled vegetables, some packaged foods
Yeast: bread, baked goods, stock cubes, nutritional yeast, some sauces and spreads
Gluten (in beer and some flavoured spirits): wheat, barley, rye, and oats if you’re sensitive
Foods and items commonly linked to alcohol
These are the kinds of items people most often look at for this topic. For the definitive list of what each screen covers, see the full food list and the non-food list.
Histamine
Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
Gluten
Sulphites
Hops
Malt
Grapes (relevant to wine sensitivity)
Dairy (an ingredient in some cream liqueurs and fortified drinks)
How to run a focused elimination
Plan for A 6-week alcohol-free core elimination, then careful structured reintroduction one drink type at a time.
Weeks 1–2: Start with a clean break — no alcohol at all: wine, beer, cider, spirits and liqueurs. Start your food and symptom diary on day one, noting energy, digestion, skin, sleep and general wellbeing. Many people are surprised how much settles once alcohol is out of the picture.
Weeks 3–4: Keep the break going and keep logging. A pattern that holds across several weeks is far more trustworthy than a good few days — and if nothing changes at all, that’s useful information pointing away from alcohol and toward other items on your report.
Weeks 5–6: Hold the course to the end of the core plan. A settled baseline and a diary kept across all six weeks are what make your reintroduction readable — and they’re also what the 90-day guarantee asks for.
After week 6 — reintroduce methodically: try ONE type of drink (say white wine, or a clear spirit) in a small amount on a single day. Then wait 2–3 days and note how your body responds — no reaction, mild, or strong.
Expand gradually: if that first drink sits fine, try a different type a few days later (for example beer, or red wine). Keep simple notes on which drinks feel fine and which don’t.
Look for the pattern: red wine might bring on flushing while white doesn’t; beer might cause bloating while spirits don’t. That pattern usually points to a particular ingredient — often histamine or yeast. If your Gold panel report lists histamine, yeast or gluten as worth exploring, that helps make sense of what you’re noticing: lower-histamine choices like fresh white wine or distilled spirits may feel easier than aged reds and beers.
Fine-tune your choices: once you can see your pattern, you can make informed decisions — perhaps skipping red wine but enjoying white, or avoiding beer but getting on fine with cider. Some people find certain brands suit them better than others, depending on how they’re made.
Reintroduce in small, single-ingredient steps — one drink type at a time, with 2–3 days between trials. Taking it slowly like this is the only reliable way to see which ingredient is behind a reaction. Mapping your pattern fully can take a few more weeks after the core plan, and that’s normal — the 90-day guarantee asks you to follow your plan for at least 6 weeks with a food diary, so start your diary on day one. If you have ever had a severe reaction to alcohol, speak to your GP before reintroducing anything.
Common questions
Is alcohol intolerance the same as an alcohol allergy?
No. A true alcohol allergy is rare and involves the immune system reacting to an ingredient such as barley or hops. Alcohol intolerance is different — it’s more about your body finding it harder to process alcohol or one of its ingredients, like histamine, sulphites or yeast. Our screening helps you spot food-sensitivity patterns to explore; a suspected true allergy would need specialist allergy testing through your GP.
Can I find out about ALDH2 deficiency with IntoleranceLab?
No. ALDH2 is a genetic enzyme variant, and it can only be identified through specialist genetic testing at a genetics clinic — it isn’t something a hair sample can show. What our screening can do is help you explore whether histamine, yeast, sulphites or other alcohol-related ingredients seem to be behind your reactions. Plenty of people assume ALDH2 is the cause when histamine turns out to be the more likely factor — and working through the elimination process is what helps you tell.
Why does red wine bother me but white wine doesn’t?
Red wine is made in contact with the grape skins, which tends to leave it higher in histamine than white wine. If histamine is one of your triggers, you may notice reds more than whites. If yeast is more your issue, beer might be the problem while spirits aren’t. The elimination process is what helps you work out which ingredient is involved for you.
Can I cut out alcohol and then reintroduce it later?
Yes — that’s exactly what the process is designed around. The 6-week core plan gives you a clean baseline, then you carefully reintroduce one drink type at a time to see what your body gets on with. Some find they can enjoy certain drinks without bother; others find they feel so much better alcohol-free that they choose to stay that way.
What if I seem to react to more than one thing — histamine and yeast, say?
Then it’s about steering clear of drinks that are high in both. Regular beer and red wine might both be tricky, for instance, while clear spirits like gin or vodka, or alcohol-free alternatives, may sit more easily. The elimination process helps you work out these combinations so you get a feel for your own limits.
Does lower-alcohol wine mean lower histamine?
Not necessarily. Histamine builds up during fermentation and ageing rather than being linked to alcohol content. A lower-alcohol wine that has been aged for a long time can still be relatively high in histamine, while fresh, young wines — whatever their alcohol level — tend to be lower.
Should I see my GP about alcohol reactions?
Yes, if your reactions are severe — for example chest tightness, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the lips, tongue or throat — please seek urgent care, as these can be signs of a true allergy that needs proper assessment. If you’re simply curious about your triggers and want to spot patterns, our screening and the elimination process are a practical first step. Your GP can also help rule out other underlying causes and advise on anything that’s been worrying you.
Is it safe to do the elimination process on my own?
For most people, a 6-week break and gradual reintroduction is straightforward to do at home. If you have a history of severe reactions, asthma, or an autoimmune condition, have a quick word with your GP before you start. Otherwise, reintroducing one drink at a time in small amounts gives you a safe, steady way to notice how your body responds.
When to speak to your GP. If you ever have a severe reaction to alcohol — chest tightness, wheezing, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the lips, tongue or throat — seek urgent GP or emergency care straight away, as these can be signs of a true allergy that needs professional assessment. Our screening is not a substitute for medical care. If you take regular medication, are pregnant, or have an underlying health condition, please talk any elimination plan through with your GP before starting. The IntoleranceLab screening flags possible food sensitivities to explore; it does not identify or assess medical conditions and does not replace advice from your GP.
