Histamine Intolerance
I cannot tolerate ingested histamine. My symptoms occur in the digestive system and include nausea, heartburn, burping, diarrhea and vomiting.
Histamine intolerance is a series of physical problems. It is not “in your head”. It results from a cascade of causes including:
Most of the science on these topics is recent and only a small number of scientists are studying them. The number of articles on PubMed are few but more are being added. My blogs use the correct technical terms if you want to do your own research on PubMed. They are Histamine Intolerance, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, FODMAP, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Diamine Oxidase.
The science is so new that most family doctors and many gastroenterologists are not aware of it. My family doctor and I have spent many years trying to find the experts who have the knowledge necessary to diagnose these problems. There are some treatments but no cure.
Histamine intolerance is a series of physical problems. It is not “in your head”. It results from a cascade of causes including:
- The production of histamine by bacteria that have invaded the small intestine – Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). The culprits are “pro-biotic” microbes.
- The ingestion of bacteria that emit histamine – Fermentable foods contain these bacteria. The FODMAP diet can alleviate symptoms by avoiding foods containing fermentable sugars.
- The ingestion of foods that have high levels of histamine – Some foods like fish, vegetables and meat on the bone are full of histamine, as are many fermented foods.
- A release of histamine by the mast cells in response to an allergen – Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. This is hayfever in the gut.
- Not enough of the digestive enzyme that metabolizes histamine – Diamine Oxidase (DAO). This is a genetic problem.
Most of the science on these topics is recent and only a small number of scientists are studying them. The number of articles on PubMed are few but more are being added. My blogs use the correct technical terms if you want to do your own research on PubMed. They are Histamine Intolerance, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, FODMAP, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Diamine Oxidase.
The science is so new that most family doctors and many gastroenterologists are not aware of it. My family doctor and I have spent many years trying to find the experts who have the knowledge necessary to diagnose these problems. There are some treatments but no cure.
