Histamine - What it is and Why it Matters

Did you know that if you don't address your food sensitivities or food allergies, you may never fix your gut issues?

Histamine is a compound produced in the body from the amino acid histidine. This chemical is needed for the proper functioning of many body systems, including the immune system, digestive system, and central nervous system. Histamine is a neurotransmitter (which communicates important messages from the body to the brain), increases stomach acid (which helps break down food), is essential in defending the body against invasion by potentially disease-causing organisms such as bacteria and viruses, keeps us awake, and regulates our hormones, the contraction of muscles, and the permeability of blood vessels. Histamine is a key mediator of many allergic reactions.

What Factors Contribute to Histamine Intolerance?

There are many factors which contribute to excess histamine levels in the body, but it mostly comes down to a problem of too much histamine coming in or being released and/or too little DAO enzyme to break down histamine.

• Over-consumption of foods that are histamine-rich, release histamine, or block DAO enzyme in the body: Some foods naturally contain very high levels of histamine (fermented foods such as alcohol, cheese, and vinegar), while other foods are "histamine liberators" which stimulate the release of histamine from cells (chocolate, citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes). There are also foods (and medications) which block the production of DAO enzyme or reduce its effectiveness (alcohol, green/black tea, H2 blockers, painkillers, asthma medications, expectorants, etc.).
• Leaky Gut: When proteins escape through the gut lining into the bloodstream and the immune system attacks them, histamine is released.
• Intestinal Damage: A healthy small intestine makes DAO enzyme in the villi. If the villi are damaged (due to pathogens, bacterial overgrowth, gluten (etc.) the body is not able to produce sufficient quantities of DAO.
• Bacterial Overgrowth (Dysbiosis/SIBO): Some species of bacteria have the ability to convert histidine in the diet into histamine. If these bacteria are present in high numbers, histamine can build-up in the gut, causing a heightened sensitivity to histamine-containing foods.
• Candida: Toxins from Candida can trigger histamine release.
• Nutritional Deficiencies: Vitamin C and copper are needed to form DAO, and Vitamin B6 is required as a cofactor to DAO to breakdown histamine. HNMT, the enzyme which deactivates histamine in the central nervous system, requires the methylation process to inactivate histamine, so deficiencies in nutrients required for methylation (folate, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, magnesium, SAMe) will impair its function.
• Genetic Polymorphisms (SNPs): Some individual have less of a capacity to deal with histmine excess and don't degrade histamine as well through DAO. Genetic polymorphisms can impair the ability to produce both DAO and HNMT. Having a MTHFR mutation may lead to under-methylation; the methylation process is required by HNMT to inactivate histamine.

If you suffer from high-histamine, here are some Low Histamine Diet foods to avoid:

Meat/Protein:

• Eat only fresh cooked meats and poultry. Do not eat leftovers; freeze any uneaten protein-based food in individual containers.
• Bone broth is high in histamine. The longer it cooks, the higher the levels. Meat broth (no bones) contains less histamine.

Fruits:

• Avoid eating overripe fruits & vegetables as histamine levels rise as these foods ripen.
• Apricots, Bananas, Cherry, Cranberries, Pineapple, Strawberries

Vegetables:

• Fermented vegetables (sauerkraut, pickles, relishes, olives in vinegar, etc.)

Beverages:

• Alcohol (especially red wine)
• Kombucha
• Coffee

Spices:

• Anise
• Cinnamon
• Curry Powder

If you would like a full Low Histamine Diet Food List, please reach out to me at [email protected]

Until next time...Take Care of You!