histamine in foods

Post your questions about histamine here.

Moderator: talkhealth

Locked
2 posts
Jennywren
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:28 pm
Quote

by Jennywren on Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:38 am

histamine in foods

I wondered if high levels of histamine in foods are causing me a problem? It seems from reading lists of histamine foods, It is the higher level foods that I react to with upper respiratory problems. This really curtails my diet as I am gluten and dairy intolerant too.

User avatar
Dr Janice Joneja
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2018 10:31 am
Quote

by Dr Janice Joneja on Sun Apr 29, 2018 8:48 pm

Re: histamine in foods

Histamine intolerance, or sensitivity, refers to symptoms that develop as a result of levels of histamine exceeding the body's ability to get rid of the excess efficiently. I have often likened this to a bucket filling up with water. When the level of water reaches the top of the bucket it overflows. When the "histamine bucket" overflows, symptoms of histamine excess, which closely resemble allergy, occur. Symptoms persist until the histamine level returns to normal.

The upper respiratory symptoms you experience may be due to excess histamine. One of the ways in which histamine acts is to make blood vessels more permeable. This allows fluid to move from the blood vessel into tissues, causing swelling - which, in the case of the upper respiratory tract, causes a stuffy nose. The fluid then moves out of the tissues, causing a runny nose. Similar swelling in the upper airways can cause breathing difficulties. The severity of the symptoms depends on the amount of histamine present. So if your upper respiratory symptoms are due to excess histamine, foods with the higher levels of histamine and those that release histamine may increase your whole body histamine to the level that your histamine bucket overflows and symptoms appear.

Some people find that determining their tolerance level to histamine by starting with a strict histamine-restricted diet for a week or so, followed by introducing one food on the restricted list at a time until they reach the level at which symptoms appear, helps in determining whether histamine excess is indeed the cause of their symptoms. After determining your tolerance level you may not need to strictly follow the histamine-restricted diet all the time as the level in your bucket will fluctuate depending on many factors, including other reactions taking place in your body, such as an inflammatory condition, adverse reactions to foods to which you are intolerant, and any allergies you may have.

Because you have several food restrictions it is very important that you obtain complete balanced nutrition from alternative foods. I would strongly recommend that you enlist the aid of a registered dietitian to help you formulate a healthy diet that you can follow for the long term.
Dr Janice Joneja
Medical microbiologist / immunologist

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... tamine.php

Locked
2 posts