What is histamine?

Histamine is a tissue hormone that is produced by the body itself and is also increasingly formed in certain foods, particularly as part of the maturing process.

An intolerance to histamine is comparable to a metabolic disorder in which histamine cannot be adequately broken down. The most common symptoms include: - Abdominal cramps - nausea - reddening of the skin - palpitations - headaches

Histamine plays an important role in the body in inflammatory processes, in the cardiovascular system, in the skin and in the digestive tract. For example, histamine dilates the blood vessels and increases the blood supply locally (redness). Once the work is done, histamine is quickly broken down in order to keep the histamine level constant. Histamine can also be consumed through food. Fish, long-aged foods, red wine, champagne, cheese, raw sausages, cabbage, etc. in particular contain higher amounts of histamine. If the individual histamine tolerance limit is exceeded, i.e. there is more histamine in the body than can be broken down, the body reacts with various symptoms (histamine intolerance). This is usually caused by a deficiency of the histamine-degrading enzyme diaminooxidase (DAO). A reduction in the activity of the second histamine-degrading enzyme histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) can intensify the symptoms.

Histamine can also be consumed through food. Fish, long-aged foods, red wine, champagne, cheese, raw sausages, cabbage, etc. in particular contain higher amounts of histamine. If the individual histamine tolerance limit is exceeded, i.e. there is more histamine in the body than can be broken down, the body reacts with various symptoms (histamine intolerance). This is usually caused by a deficiency of the histamine-degrading enzyme diaminooxidase (DAO). A reduction in the activity of the second histamine-degrading enzyme histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) can intensify the symptoms.

Examples of histamine-rich foods:

Good to know

In the treatment of histamine intolerance, a dietary change in three phases has become established:

• Restrict histamine intake: The histamine intake is severely restricted with a mixed diet emphasizing vegetables for 10-14 days.
• Test phase: Gradually include individual foods in the diet and observe the amount of histamine that is well tolerated. Duration up to six weeks.
• Long-term diet: The diet should be based on individual tolerance in the long term and take into account other influences such as stress, hormonal influences, medication etc....

What does it mean to be histamine intolerant?

There are two main reasons for histamine intolerance. Firstly, if there is a deficiency of enzymes (DOA and HNMT) that metabolize histamine and/or secondly, if too much histamine is produced in the body. This can happen, for example, due to intestinal bacteria, a permeable intestinal wall or reduced activity of the histidine decarboxylase (HDC) enzyme.

What does genetics have to do with it?