Best known for its role in allergic response, histamine protects the body from agents like bacteria, viruses and allergens.
When the immune system senses an antigen or “foreign invader” histamine is released, signaling inflammation, in an attempt to fight it off.
Histamine causes your blood vessels to swell, or dilate, so that your white blood cells can move quickly to find and attack the infection or problem.
Foods, alcohol, physical stressors and trauma are also activators of mast cells. • Histamine balance is a critical factor in patients with allergic and gastrointestinal symptoms.
Histimine plays many different roles in the body and effects the following systems: Immune response – Digestion – Inflammation – Sexual function – Blood pressure/vasodilation – Muscle contraction – Thermoregulation – Wakefulness – Neuromodulation
Histimine sensitivity in foods: The reactions caused by foods high in histamine are not allergic reactions to the foods or allergic reactions. Rather, it is the body’s reaction to the histamine in or from the food, and these reactions are cumulative.
Food allergy tests that measure IgE reactions to specific foods will be negative because reactions to histamine are not caused by an IgE food allergy. The cause is histamine intolerance.
A histimine reaction will occur when the body’s stores become maxed out, or the body can’t break down and eliminate this excess histimine.
In addition to histimine rich foods, there are many other reasons for a histimine build-up in the body: Allergies (IgE reactions) – Bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) – Leaky gut – GI bleeding – Alcohol – Diamine Oxidase (DAO) deficiency
There are many common symptoms of Histimine overload including:
– Pruritus (itching especially of the skin, eyes, ears, and nose) – Chest pain – Conjunctivitis (irritated, watery, reddened eyes) – Fatigue, confusion, irritability – Very occasionally, loss of consciousness usually lasting for only one or two seconds – Digestive upset, especially heartburn, “indigestion”, and reflux – Headaches/migraines – Difficulty falling asleep, easily arousal – Hypotension – Vertigo or dizziness – Arrhythmia or accelerated heart rate – Difficulty regulating body temperature
– Symptoms resembling an anxiety or panic attack – Nausea, vomiting – Abdominal cramps – Flushing – Nasal congestion, sneezing, difficulty breathing, dripping nose, allergies – Abnormal menstrual cycle – Hives – Fatigue – Tissue swelling (angioedema) especially of facial and oral tissues and sometimes the throat, the latter causing the feeling of “throat tightening
Thanks toRobert Miller, CTN Certified Traditional Naturopath Founder & President NutriGenetic Research Institute for the above information.
Below is a list of Histimine-rich foods, compiled by my colleague Dr Derik Anderson of Muscle-Joint Clinic in San Rafael:
Histamine-Containing & Releasing Foods
When histamines need to be reduced, avoiding them comes in two ways. Some foods have them, others cause our bodies to release stored histamine. Both need to be avoided to reduce your histamine load. That is, reduce the amount of histamines circulating in your body and causing you to feeling so lousy.
Histamine-rich foods
- Fermented Alcoholic Beverages: especially wine, champagne, and beer
- Fermented Foods: sauerkraut, vinegar, soy sauce, kombucha, fefir,
- Vinegar-containing foods: pickles, mayonnaise, olives
- Cured meats: salami, bacon, pepperoni, most lunch meats, hot dogs
- Soured foods: sour cream, sour milk, buttermilk, soured bread
- Vegetables: avocados, eggplant, spinach, and tomatoes
- Aged cheese
- Dried fruits
- Most citrus fruits
- Avocados
- Aged cheese
- Dried fruits
- Eggplant
- Fermented foods and dairy products, such as yogurt and sauerkraut
- Processed or smoked meats
- Shellfish
- Spinach
Histamine-releasing foods
- Bananas
- Beans
- Chocolate
- Citrus fruits
- Food dyes and other additives
- Raw egg whites
- Shellfish
- Pumpkin
- Nuts (specifically walnuts, cashews & peanuts)
- Kiwi
- Pineapple
- Raspberry
- Beans and legumes
- Papaya
- Tomatoes
- Wheat germ