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Overcoming Histamine Intolerance

Many people have never heard of histamine intolerance – at least not until very recently. And unfortunately, even most GI doctors still do not equate diet with symptoms. Almost everyone has heard of gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance, and even FODMAP intolerance. But, histamine? Histamine is still the new kid on the block in terms of popular awareness. I’m certain that histamine’s time in the spotlight is coming, so consider yourself ahead of the curve!

When it comes to food intolerances, we don’t yet have adequate technology to effectively study it on a population. Instead, you must be the test subject. Think of Overcoming Histamine Intolerance as an “N of 1” trial on yourself…

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  How the Internet Helped Me Cope With My Rare Disease

So when I was diagnosed with a fairly difficult-to-treat disease called idiopathic angioedema and chronic urticaria (a fancy way of saying we don’t know why you swell and hey, enjoy the 24/7 hives) six months ago, I wasn't quite sure how to cope. My body is essentially in a constant state of allergy and releases large amounts of histamine into the bloodstream, causing painful tissue swelling and itchy, tortuous hives.

 Histamine Intolerance or Allergy?: Solving Your Mystery Symptom

Have you ever had mysterious headaches or skin rashes? Does your nose suddenly begin to run when you eat avocados or bananas? You may have thought it was an allergy, but you also felt the same when you ate other types of food like cheese. You may have histamine intolerance based on those foods having higher amounts of histamine than you are able to break down. Luckily, there are treatment options for you.

 Histamine Intolerance: The Current State of the Art

Histamine intolerance, also referred to as enteral histaminosis or sensitivity to dietary histamine, is a disorder associated with an impaired ability to metabolize ingested histamine that was described at the beginning of the 21st century. Although interest in histamine intolerance has considerably grown in recent years, more scientific evidence is still required to help define, diagnose and clinically manage this condition.

 Histamine Intolerance—The More We Know the Less We Know. A Review

Despite the fact that food intolerance is spread throughout the world, its diagnosing is still difficult. Histamine intolerance (HIT) is the term for that type of food intolerance which includes a set of undesirable reactions as a result of accumulated or ingested histamine. Manifestations may be caused by various pathophysiological mechanisms or a combination of them.

 The Histamine Intolerance Myth Buster

The internet can be a wonderful source of information but it can also lead to a lot of confusion. Here is the myth buster.

 Your Mystery Food Sensitivity Might Actually Be a Histamine Intolerance

If you feel off after eating avocados and chocolate, you need to read this.

Articles of Interest

Histamine Intolerance: 14 Facts You Need to Know

...histamine intolerance is a condition that is starting to gain more awareness in the medical community. It’s a problem that can seriously degrade anyone’s quality of life. Based on my experience with histamine issues, and after our research team spent over 100 hours combing through all the relevant peer reviewed studies on histamine and histamine metabolism, there are 14 things we’d like you to know about this condition.

A Functional Medicine Approach to Histamine Intolerance

By eliminating histamine-rich foods from your diet for several weeks (under the supervision of a practitioner) and then slowly adding them back in, you can learn more about your individual tolerance to foods triggering your histamine reactions.

Curing Histamine Intolerance

Are certain foods triggering your unwanted symptoms? Similar to allergies and food sensitivities, histamine intolerance may be another cause of your adverse food reactions. However, histamine intolerance is not well understood by most people and can be tricky to diagnosis.

Histamine Intolerance 101

While it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what causes histamine intolerance, the impairment of DAO or HNMT is a major cause of this condition as is having impaired intestinal function. The enzyme DAO is produced in the intestine so any impairment to the intestine could result in a lack of the DAO enzyme impairing histamine breakdown. This is a major reason why those who suffer from gastrointestinal conditions seem to suffer from histamine intolerance more often. The condition is commonly found in those who suffer from IBS, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease as well as SIBO.

Histamine Intolerance and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome

Your mast cells releasing histamines is part of a healthy, balanced immune system. Many foods naturally contain histamine or trigger the release of histamine in the body. Problems occur, however, when there is a dysfunction or deficiency of the enzymes that break down histamine. Those enzymes are called histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) and diamine oxidase (DAO). Without the enzymes to effectively get rid of excess histamine, you could experience a histamine overflow, which can cause a lot of problems. This is histamine intolerance.

Histamine Intolerance: All You Need to Know

Do you experience unexplained headaches or anxiety? What about irregular menstrual cycles or gastrointestinal disorders? Does your face flush when you drink red wine? Do you get an itchy tongue or runny nose when you eat bananas, avocados, or eggplant? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you could have histamine intolerance.

Histamine intolerance: The ultimate guide

Doctors are still arguing about the existence of histamine intolerance, since the symptoms reported by those affected can often not be proven under laboratory conditions. Subjectively, histamine intolerance is assumed to be much more common than can be objectively proven by doctors. However, studies of intestinal tissue samples from irritable bowel patients have shown that they have more histamine receptors in the digestive tract than healthy control groups without irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Is Your Food Allergy Really a Histamine Intolerance?

But maybe your so-called food allergies aren’t what they seem. These and other symptoms could instead be a sign of histamine intolerance, a lesser-known condition that is basically a fancy way of saying you might have too much histamine—the chemical that causes allergic reactions—floating around your body.

Is Your Food Allergy Really a Histamine Intolerance?

They can be confoundingly similar.

Kombucha, kimchi and yogurt: how fermented foods could be harmful to your health

Histamine is plentiful in fermented foods. For most, our body’s specific enzymes will naturally digest them. However, some people don’t produce enough of these enzymes. This means histamine won’t be digested and will instead be absorbed into the bloodstream. This can cause a range of histamine intolerance symptoms. The most common are itching, headaches or migraines, runny nose (rhinitis), eye redness, fatigue, hives and digestive symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. However, histamine intolerance can also cause more severe symptoms, including asthma, low blood pressure, irregular heart rate, circulatory collapse, sudden psychological changes (such as anxiety, aggressiveness, dizziness and lack of concentration) and sleep disorders.

What is a low-histamine diet?

To help get you started, here are some common foods and their likely histamine effects. You should be aware that histamine levels may vary, so this is given for guidance only...

Resources

Histamine Intolerance Awareness

This campaign, with the help of a large number of supporters, aims to raise awareness of histamine intolerance (HIT) and be a growing source of information for those who suffer from the condition.

The Histamine Intolerance Site

I am a journalist, author published in 12 languages and I am histamine intolerant. (Although that’s not how I introduce myself at parties). I’ve put together a report based on the most powerful ways you can reduce your histamine levels right now. '14 ways to lower your histamine levels right now' is completely free.