Histamine intolerance - it's not just about histamine

The number of people suffering from histamine intolerance is increasing. This presents those affected with challenges that require more complex solutions than simply avoiding histamine-containing foods.

What you should know about histamine intolerance

Histamine is a highly researched substance in medicine. Histidine is a biogenic amine and a degradation product of an aromatic amino acid that is involved in protein formation. As a neurotransmitter, it plays an important role in our health. It is one of the most important intermediates circulating between cells and the bloodstream. It is important for the immune response and helps to regulate the circulatory and Digestionwhen taken in small quantities.

Inflammatory processes

However, if ingested in large quantities, it can cause allergic reactions, lead to an overproduction of stomach acid and Trigger inflammatory processes. Possible adverse effects include headaches, rhinitis, low blood pressure, swelling, skin rashes, respiratory disorders, heart problems and stomach and digestive problems. It can also play a significant role in the development of Allergy symptoms and hay fever and negatively influence the sleep-wake rhythm.

What is histamine and where is it found?

Histamine (or biogenic amines in general) is harmless to our body. As already explained, histamine is physiologically necessary. This is confirmed by the fact that the human body produces histamine itself and only some of it is supplied to the body in the form of food. The positive or negative effect of histamine therefore depends on how much histamine is present in the body and where it is produced. For example, the Balance of the microbiome plays a decisive role in the production of biogenic amines.

Why do so many people react sensitively to histamine?

There are two ways to avoid histamine intolerance. If you are sensitive to histamine, you should avoid histamine-containing foods and make sure that the DAO enzymes in the body are in balance. However, many people do not realise that the problem is more complex and that there are other aspects that make histamine intolerance more difficult to resolve.

Biogenic amines and histamine intolerance

Histamine intolerance can be categorised as food intolerance caused by biogenic amines. The main factor is the increase in histamine levels in our body, which causes clinical symptoms when the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO) is not sufficiently active.

Over the last 20 years, many people have noticed that more and more people are suffering from histamine intolerance. This condition is increasingly being referred to as a "widespread disease". There are various reasons for this.

How does histamine intolerance develop?

The development of intolerance is partly due to the intestinal bacteria and the condition of the intestinal mucosa. 

The role of intestinal bacteria

Both a lack of positive bacteria and an overgrowth of negative bacteria can be indirect causes of the problem. Useful intestinal bacteriawhich regularly produce the enzyme DAO, are pushed into the background, creating an imbalance. If the microbiome goes in the wrong direction, mast cells produce a lot of histamine, triggering a process that can lead to nerve inflammation.

An overgrowth of bacteria that produce decarboxylase can lead to an overproduction of biogenic amines lead to histamine. This means that the histamine problem can only be solved by an appropriate intestinal flora. However, the dose of histamine that can trigger allergic reactions varies greatly. Sensitive people can trigger a reaction with as little as 5-10 mg.

Cortisol and histamine intolerance

If the body is unable to break down histamine, this can lead to an increased need for cortisol. A high release of cortisol can lead to exhaustion if adrenal function is inadequate. This increases the histamine intolerance, which leads to a vicious circle. The problem is not that you eat a lot of histamine-containing foods, but that the body cannot break them down. The picture is much more complex and multi-layered than many people realise. It cannot simply be viewed and solved in a purely two-dimensional way.

Lysine and the role of free amino acids

In addition, other biogenic amines such as putrescine or cadaverine react synergistically with histamine and increase its negative effect.  Lysine and other Amino acidscontained in feed and food have an influence on the development of sensitisation, as they can lead to an imbalance of amino acids in the body (e.g. books on veterinary pathology have shown that an imbalance of amino acids occurs when free amino acids are added to feed or food).

The role of DAO enzymes

In addition, substances such as chemicals and pesticides that inhibit the breakdown of biogenic amines by the enzymes monoamine oxidase (MAO) and diamine oxidase (DAO) can exacerbate the problem when they enter our bodies. Certain chemicals inhibit the action of the DAO enzyme in the gut and others damage the beneficial gut bacteria that are supposed to break down biogenic amines. In practice, xenobiotics can also break the simple rule of avoiding enough histamine-containing foods and taking a DAO enzyme if you are histamine intolerant.

GMO food

Contact with genetically modified foods and the consumption of genetically modified animal products can therefore lead to histamine intolerance. Some Studies have also shown that GM soya and maize have a negative effect on intestinal flora, intestinal immunity and Liver- and Kidney function of animals. Glyphosate has also been shown to directly block the DAO.

To diagnose a histamine intolerance, it is therefore often recommended to determine the DAO enzyme level and the histamine level at the same time. It is important to note that the DAO enzyme not only breaks down histamine, but also other biogenamines. If you have a low histamine level but no DAO enzyme is present in your body, you could be burdened with other biogenic amines.

This means that histamine sensitivity is a complex problem that needs to be considered in context. The consumption of histamine-containing foods is not the only cause of problems in histamine-sensitive people.

Histamine intolerance and food quality

Anthroposophic medicine states that the problems of the individual can only be understood and treated correctly if they are considered in the context of the surrounding environment. Therefore, histamine sensitivity is not necessarily due to an individual organ problem, but to environmental influences. The problem goes much deeper than it did 20 years ago. Our health problems depend mainly on our diet and the quality of food available on the market. This means that we can only positively influence our health problems if we also change our eating habits for the better.

What helps with histamine intolerance?

Fulvic acid

Fulvicherb-Synergy is a food supplement that Herbs, Fulvic acid, Arginine, Praid salt and Pectin contains, to maintain and restore balance in the body. The content of fulvic acid contributes to the perfect absorption of amino acids without carrier molecules thanks to its complexing effect. This prevents the bacteria that produce the enzyme decarboxylase from finding a 'starting material', namely free amino acids in the intestinal contents (e.g. histidine, lysine, tryptophan). This helps to prevent the production of harmful biogenic amines, including the overproduction of histamine.

Pectin

Apple pectin is one of the main nutrients for the beneficial bacteria of the Intestinal flora and therefore plays an important role in restoring and strengthening the health of the intestinal flora. This is very important because, as already mentioned, a normal intestinal flora is the most important protective bastion of our body.

Herbs

Various medicinal herbs (such as Milk thistle, Blueberry leaves or Sorrel) also have a positive influence on the Intestinal bacteria and thus effectively contribute to Strengthening the immune system and indirectly to an increase in histamine resistance.

Fulvicherb-Synergy does not contain any preservatives that could inhibit the DAO enzyme and is therefore suitable for people with histamine intolerance.

Summary

To summarise, it can be said that the Histamine intolerance is a very complex issue that is not only due to histamine-containing foods and enzymes such as DAO in the body. Avoiding histamine-containing foods is important, but this alone is not enough. The problem largely depends on the state of our microbiome, which depends on the quality of the food we consume.

Genetically modified food and meat from animals raised on genetically modified feedhave the potential to negatively influence our intestinal flora and impair the function of the enzyme DAO in the intestine, which in turn leads to a short-term overproduction of histamine.

A healthy intestinal flora and a healthy microbiome therefore help us to combat histamine sensitivity. Fulvicherb-Synergy can support this, as its active ingredients promote the build-up and maintenance of intestinal flora, improve the production and absorption of histamine and support the function of the DAO enzyme.