A Holistic Approach to Histamine Intolerance

 
 

With the prevalence of immunocompromising phenomena, including issues like long COVID, mold toxicity, and digestive conditions, we are seeing a correlated rise in histamine intolerance. 


Marked by a wide range of symptoms—including chronic congestion, fatigue, anxiety attacks, and drops in blood pressure, it’s important to raise awareness about this increasingly common predicament and the root cause approaches to treatment. Because the most common external source of histamine is food, nutrition can play an important role in relieving symptoms and, as part of a holistic protocol, supports deeper healing.


What is histamine?

The body naturally produces histamine, a neurotransmitter that functions as a vital player in both the immune and nervous systems, which helps explain the breadth of symptoms associated with its intolerance. Although it’s a natural and important part of a healthy system, issues arise when there is an excess of histamine.

How do I know if I have a histamine intolerance?

Histamine intolerance is not a traditional allergy, so it won’t appear on allergy tests. Rather, it is determined through the expression of associated symptoms, which include:

  • Itching, especially of the skin, eyes, ears, and mouth

  • Hives

  • Tissue swelling (especially of the face and mouth)

  • Drops in blood pressure (e.g., feeling dizzy upon standing)

  • Symptoms resembling anxiety or panic attacks

  • Chest pain

  • Nasal congestion and runny nose

  • Irritated, watery eyes

  • Headache

  • Fatigue, confusion, irritability


What causes histamine intolerance?

Histamine intolerance can be caused by consuming too many foods that contain histamine, combined with metabolic factors that interfere with histamine metabolism.

Enzymes such as DAO and HNMT break down histamine. Some factors interfere with the activity of these enzymes (and hence the breakdown of histamine), such as genetic mutations, taking prescription drugs (including antibiotics, NSAIDs, and antidepressants), and drinking alcohol. Although these enzymes are crucial to histamine balance, there’s a flip side to overflowing histamine—its overproduction and overconsumption.

One’s overall histamine load is affected not only by histamine-metabolizing enzymes, but also by gut bacteria, exposure to allergens, and diet.

  1. Gastrointestinal disorders that impair the proper digestion of food can lead to an overgrowth of bacteria that overproduce histamine in the gut, reflected in a correlation between people with intestinal dysbiosis and histamine intolerance. 70% of our immune system is located in the gut, so imbalances in digestion or in gut bacteria can trigger the release of histamine.

  2. External factors like seasonal and environmental allergies and even food sensitivities, trigger the immune response and contribute to excess histamine, and lower our tolerance to the amount of histamine coming in from our diet.

  3. Finally, the consumption of histamine-producing foods can put you over your histamine tolerance threshold. Ironically, some of the heaviest histamine hitters in the food category are fermented foods. While you may have included fermented foods in the spirit of becoming healthier, this reminds us about the importance of bioindividual nutrition advice, as “healthy foods” like sauerkraut and kefir can greatly exacerbate histamine load..


How do I treat histamine intolerance?

There are several ways to get to the root of the histamine overload holistically.

Firstly, anyone suspecting histamine intolerance can experiment with a low-histamine diet (see the list of foods high in histamine below). Beyond food choices, a low-histamine diet is marked by fresh food because histamines accumulate as foods age, so limit leftovers.

In addition to limiting histamine-containing foods, consider supplementing with DAO to support the breakdown of histamine. I recommend HistaGest-DAO by Designs for Health - here’s a link to purchase this product from a reputable site. It’s also wise to support the body’s detoxification pathways e.g., fiber for digestive regularity, castor oil packs, acupuncture or sauna.

Finally, working to lower the body’s other sources of inflammation is crucial, and assessing food sensitives is one great way to do so. Indeed, unlike over-the-counter food sensitivity tests, MRT technology does capture the inflammatory pathways of a variety of immune cells, including histamines.

By minimizing inflammation and reducing histamine load, it’s possible to actually retrain the immune system and rebalance the gut microbiome. In doing so, the body can eventually become both less triggered to external histamines and less susceptible to the internal overproduction of histamines. Learn more about personalizing your nutrition with broad spectrum food sensitivity testing here. Wishing you balance and allergy relief this spring season!


Foods High in Histamine

Fish, Eggs, Meat

  • Processed, smoked and fermented meats. Ex: luncheon meat, sausage, bologna, salami, pepperoni, smoked ham, cured bacon

  • Leftover meat. Best to freeze leftover meats instead of refrigerating them

  • Fish and shellfish—whether it's fresh, frozen, smoked or canned. Fish caught fresh and gutted immediately are usually lower in histamine

Milk and milk products

  • Any fermented dairy products using a bacterial culture, including:

  • Cheese products

  • Cottage cheese

  • Ricotta cheese

  • Yogurt

  • Buttermilk

  • Kefir

Fruits

  • Apricots

  • Cherries

  • Citrus (orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime)

  • Cranberries

  • Currants (fresh or dried)

  • Dates

  • Grapes

  • Pineapple

  • Prunes

  • Raisins

  • Raspberries

  • Strawberries

Vegetables

  • Avocado

  • Eggplant

  • Olives

  • Pickles, relishes and other foods containing vinegar

  • Pumpkin

  • Spinach

  • Tomatoes

Legumes

  • Red beans

  • Soy and soy products

Food Additives

  • Tartarazine and other food colors

  • Preservatives - especially benzoates and sulfites

  • Consider medications containing artificial food colors, benzoates, and sulfites

Seasonings

  • Chili powder

  • Cinnamon

  • Cloves

  • Curry powder

  • Nutmeg

  • Thyme

  • Vinegar

Miscellaneous

  • Fermented soy products (ex: miso, soy sauce)

  • Fermented foods (ex: sauerkraut)

  • Tea (regular or green)

  • Chocolate, cocoa, cola

  • Alcohol

  • Nonalcoholic versions of alcohol beverages - ex: nonalcoholic beer, ale, wine, etc.


The information provided on this blog is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Miriam Jacobson