Histamine, Beyond Allergic Reactions

Histamine

You may be most familiar with histamine when thinking about allergic reactions and the related anti-histamine medication. But, do you know what it actually is and what it does for the body? This post gives a brief insight, and how nutrition may help you to keep it in check.

What is histamine? What does it do? How do we get rid of it?

Histamine is a substance made by the body in response to exposure to an allergen or injury. It is present in all areas of the body and is thought to have a role in sleep regulation, food intake, the release of stomach acid, thermal regulation, behaviour, memory, and more! In terms of immunity, histamine does not just affect immediate responses to allergens, but also has a role in autoimmune diseases and inflammatory conditions.

As well as making it ourselves, we get histamine from our foods with some foods being considered “high histamine”. These foods may trigger allergy-like symptoms even if you are not allergic to them. They include pork, fish, processed meats, yoghurt, cheese, nuts and olives, as well as many more items. Avoiding the full list would be extremely restrictive and potentially problematic long-term!

An important consideration with histamine is not just where it comes from, but how we process it and get rid of it. Histamine can become a problem when the level in your body gets too high. In order to break down histamine we need an enzyme that is produced mainly in the thymus, kidneys and intestines: diamine oxidase (DAO). And, we need those organs to be healthy and working effectively to produce enough. A good level of the right foods and nutrients can help with this.

Low DAO activity can also be due to genetics, alcohol and some medications.

What happens if we have too much histamine?

Histamine intolerance happens when the level of histamine in the body is higher than the body can cope with. It can be difficult to identify high levels of histamine as being the problem given the range of symptoms it can trigger:

Body area	Symptoms associated with histamine intolerance
Central nervous system	Vertigo, headache, nausea, and a disturbed circadian rhythm (your day-night cycle). Disturbed regulation of body temperature, food intake, movement, learning and memory.
Digestive tract	Diarrhoea, stomach ache, flatulence, and bloating
Uterus	Painful menstruation
Respiratory tract	Nasal congestion, difficulty breathing, tightened airway
Skin	Rashes, dermatitis, flushing
Cardiovascular system	Vertigo, hypertension, anaphylactic reactions, arrhythmia

Other symptoms are also possible.

5 ways to help your body keep histamine in check

Of course, if you have concerns about your health your first stop should be your doctor to get a diagnosis and any necessary medical treatments. However, if you have high histamine levels there are nutritional approaches you could try:

Remove foods from your diet that you have found to be a problem (this is best identified with a food and symptom diary, and ideally should be overseen by a suitably qualified professional to ensure you maintain a healthful diet).
Avoid alcohol (do not stop taking any prescribed medications without consultation with your medical team!)
Support your liver to help you break down and clear the histamine.
Support your gut microbiome – eat plenty of fibre, and reduce your intake of sugar and processed foods. Take care with probiotic foods such as yoghurt, fermented foods and cheeses as these are usually high histamine.
Ensure you are eating a wide variety of whole foods to support your intake of vitamins and minerals to help you break down the histamine and clear it from your body.