Summer is joyous, but the constant sneezing, bunged-up sinuses and general meh-ness that come with hay fever are… not so much.
Searches for hay fever spiked 114% in the last month, as people looked high and low for remedies to get them feeling back to their usual selves.
But it turns out the solution might already be in their fruit bowl, as experts from Bed Kingdom have revealed how pineapple – yes, really – could actually help improve your body’s resistance to the seasonal allergy.
Symptoms of hay fever
The most commonly experienced symptoms of hay fever are:
- frequent sneezing,
- runny or blocked nose,
- itchy, red or watery eyes,
- an itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears,
- and a cough, caused by postnasal drip.
In less common instances, people might also experience:
- loss of sense of smell (anosmia),
- facial pain (caused by blocked sinuses),
- headaches,
- earache,
- tiredness and fatigue.
How do pineapples help with hay fever?
Pineapples are well known for being packed with vitamin C, which reduces how much histamine your body produces in response to allergens.
But they’re less known for containing bromelain, an enzyme with natural anti-inflammatory properties, useful for combatting allergies, eczema and asthma.
Bromelain has also been found to improve allergy symptoms, as it produces substances in the body that help fight inflammation, swelling, nasal congestion, and respiratory problems, boosting resistance to the worst hay fever symptoms.
It’s naturally found in the juice and stem of a pineapple, so including this tropical fruit in your diet can help relieve symptoms caused by pollen like red, itchy eyes; sneezing and coughing.
Our bodies can’t produce bromelain, so eating pineapple or drinking its juice can help boost our response to allergies.
Pollen is protein-rich and it’s the proteins that cause all that nasty swelling, irritation and inflammation in our bodies. When it gets into our bloodstream, it can truly start to wreak havoc, unleashing all manner of unwanted symptoms.
But if you eat pineapple on an empty stomach, the bromelain works to break down the pesky proteins – meaning more get digested, and less end up in the bloodstream where symptoms could then be triggered. Clever, huh?
With one in five people struggling with hay fever at some point in their life, it’s certainly worth a try. Now, get to the supermarket to stock up.