When to eat a low-histamine diet?
People with a food allergy can get symptoms when they eat something they are allergic to. The histamine level in the body then rises. With a histamine intolerance, complaints can arise from eating food that contains a lot of histamine.
In both cases, complaints arise, such as itching, a stuffy nose, insomnia or abdominal complaints. With a histamine intolerance, the complaints arise from eating food that provokes the production of histamine, or eating food that contains histamine. Because of this, there is an increase in histamine in the body. With a histamine intolerance, there is a deficiency of the enzyme that breaks down histamine, or: a deficiency of diamine oxidase (DAO). Below we give information about a histamine intolerance and how you can develop an eating pattern and how to reduce the symptoms of a histamine intolerance.
What is histamine?
Histamine is a substance that has many functions in the body and plays a role in immune reactions, the production of stomach acid and ensures blood vessel dilation. Histamine is made and stored in the so-called mast cells. At normal amounts, histamine plays an important role in the body. But with an increase in histamine, this can cause complaints. There is then dilation of the blood vessels that can be visible and felt because one gets red cheeks. An increase in histamine often causes palpitations.histamine molecule
Allergy and histamine
In an allergic reaction, histamine is released from the mast cells by eating products to which you are allergic. The amount of histamine in the body tissues, intestines and blood increases. So that is a purely internal reaction that only occurs when you have an allergy. A food allergy can occur due to a certain nutrient, such as eggs or tomatoes. One is also sensitive to a number of foods or has an allergy to grass or tree pollen.
Enzyme that breaks down histamine
Another syndrome is a histamine intolerance. An excess of histamine can be caused by the lack of a certain enzyme in the body that has to break down histamine. That is the enzyme diamine oxidase. Due to a deficiency of this enzyme, too high histamine levels occur in the intestine and blood. In short, we can say that the amount of histamine in the body can increase:
due to an allergy,
by foods that contain a lot of histamine and products that release histamine in case of a deficiency of the enzyme DAO.
An increase in histamine in the body causes blood vessel dilation, a runny nose, itching, insomnia, palpitations or headaches. Itching and shortness of breath are often the result of food allergies and hay fever. The combination of an allergic reaction with insomnia or the appearance of red cheeks when drinking red wine is quite characteristic of a histamine hypersensitivity due to an enzyme deficiency. Many people are not familiar with a histamine intolerance. They then do not have a good idea of where the above complaints come from. It is always useful to get tested for histamine intolerance.
Histamine and food
Histamine is naturally found in various animal and plant products. Especially processed and fermented food products contain a lot of histamine, for example old cheeses, fungal cheeses and sausages. Fermentation is a natural process in which healthy bacteria ensure that food can be stored longer. Lactobacillus brevis is a healthy bacterium that is used for fermentation, so during this process histamine can be released.
Test histamine intolerance
One can detect a histamine intolerance by having the histamine content of the stool determined by a test. How do you do that? On day 1, consume a glass of red wine, chocolate, some old cheese and nuts. Take a stool sample the next day. For this you use a special collection tube, which you send to the laboratory, where the histamine content is measured. The normal values of histamine are between 0 and 107 uU/ml.
Nutrition with histamine
Sauerkraut contain
