Histamine intolerance

What is histamine?

Histamine is a tissue hormone produced in our body that acts primarily as a neurotransmitter (neurotransmitter). It also plays a very important role in the development of allergic reactions and in immune function, i.e. protection against foreign substances.

Biochemically, histamine is a biogenic amine. It is formed from an amino acid called histidine after the cleavage of a carbon dioxide molecule and is mainly stored in mast cells, basophil granulocytes and nerve cells. Although it can be produced in large quantities by the human body, much is also absorbed in the blood through food and drink.

What is histamine intolerance?

Histaminosis or histamine intolerance is a hypersensitivity to histamine in food. It is not a congenital problem, but a consequence of poor lifestyle, eating habits, intestinal inflammation/infections, or a side effect of various medications.

There are several basic causes:

1. the intestinal mucosa is diseased and too much of the histamine in the food eaten is released into the bloodstream the normal bacterial flora has been upset and bacteria that also produce high levels of histamine have become predominant
2. not producing enough histamine-degrading enzyme (DAO) - (the rarest case)
3. the introduction of substances that block histamine degradation
4. excessive intake of hystaminic foods compared to the breakdown capacity.

The European population is increasingly affected, mostly women over 40, but drugs and poor lifestyle habits are also increasing the number of young people affected.

Since it is not a true allergic reaction (due to antigen-antibody complexes from mast cells) that causes a lot of histamine to build up in the blood, it is also called a pseudoallergy.

I find that in cases of rosacea, liver stress and intestinal toxin accumulation are the most common causes.

Main symptoms

Soon after eating, drinking or taking a medicine, the following reactions may occur:

• redness, erythema, hives, (moist) eczema, itching
• headaches, migraines, dizziness, hot flushes, flushing
• nasal congestion and runny nose, difficulty breathing, asthma, sore and itchy throat
• bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, stabbing/spasmodic abdominal pain
• spike in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, arrhythmia
• menstrual cramps, bladder inflammation, urethritis and severe sensitivity of the mucous membranes of the genitals
• oedema formation, joint pain
• fatigue, tiredness, sleep problems

Foods high in histamine

• canned and preserved foods
• cheeses - especially long-ripened hard cheeses, mouldy cheeses
• smoked and cured meats, ham, salami
• most fish, seafood and canned fish
• beans and pulses in general (especially chickpeas)
• tomatoes, tomato sauce, ketchup
• soya products (soya milk, soya cream, tofu, soya sauce)
• products made from wheat
• sauerkraut, pickled cucumber
• ready meals
• certain fruits: bananas, pears, aubergines, oranges, kiwis, strawberries...
• alcoholic drinks (especially beer, red wine and champagne)
• Yeast and bakery products made from yeast
• black tea
• chocolate, cocoa, tea cakes, sweets containing preservatives and sweeteners, cakes
• vinegar (especially wine vinegar)
• garlic, onion
• oilseeds (especially walnuts and cashew nuts)

Histamine tolerance varies between individuals

The best way to prevent symptoms is to avoid histamine-rich foods altogether. However, it is important to know that individual sensitivity and tolerance varies greatly, and that in small doses the listed items may not cause complaints individually, but in combination or in larger amounts they may. It is also possible that what did not cause symptoms last week may immediately cause severe complaints today in small doses, e.g. because there are still many food residues in the gut from yesterday to which today's small dose of histamine added to yesterday's may cause problems. The load on the lymphatic system, the condition of the intestinal tract and the functioning of the liver also play a role... But it is also possible that we have eaten something with the small portion of food - which has not caused any complaints so far - that we did not know was a real histamine bomb.

General dietary guidelines

• Always eat what you can fresh. Do not store in the fridge for more than 1 day. Anything you want to freeze should also be kept fresh in the freezer.
• Don't eat or drink any food that has been cured or pickled for a long time, or canned food.
• Alcohol is forbidden immediately before, during and after eating; red wine and beer and champagne are banned.
• No fermented and matured foods (e.g. sauerkraut, Parmesan, cured and matured meats...)
• Only fresh and frozen fish is recommended, not smoked, cured and canned fish prepared as rusks.
• If you have a lower histamine content but still want to eat it, soak it a little or pour out the first cooking juices, because histamine is water-soluble and can be reduced in the food.
• Foods that do not contain much histamine per se but which promote the release of histamine should also be avoided, such as all citrus fruits.

It is worthwhile to follow a diet for a few weeks during the Skin Renewal Cure, when you should consciously make sure that you eat a diet low in histamine.

Foods low in histamine

For each of the foods listed below, more literature gives different information. The most important thing is to buy as fresh and untreated food as possible, as food that has been standing for a long time can accumulate histamine.

• fresh cheeses, cottage cheese, butter
• fresh meat products (fresh, frozen)
• freshly caught fish and seafood
• fresh fruit (melons, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, lychees, mangoes, persimmons, rhubarb, cherries, sour cherries, currants, gooseberries, apricots, apples)
• fresh vegetables (lettuce, cabbage, beetroot, pumpkin, onion, radish, iceberg radish, TV peppers, carrots, potatoes, cucumber, leek, courgette, corn, asparagus)
• Cereals, pasta (spelt, maize, rice pasta/flour, yeast-free rye bread, bakery products made from maize, barley or rice flour, rice, oatmeal)
• milk replacers: rice, oat and coconut milk
• other than citrus fruits and vegetables listed above, and fresh fruit juices made from them
• herbal teas
• egg yolks