Diarrhea and constipation in histamine intolerance

Intestinal complaints such as diarrhea and/or constipation are typical and frequently occurring symptoms of histamine intolerance.

In this article, we want to break the taboo surrounding bowel movements and digestion, because the gut plays a key role when it comes to health – and not just with histamine intolerance.

Diarrhea with histamine intolerance

Diarrhea is one of the typical symptoms of histamine intolerance. It can occur on its own or alternate with constipation. This is usually the case when the intestinal mucosa is damaged and is too thick in some areas and too thin in others.

Diarrhea occurs, among other things, when our digestive system gets thrown out of balance by an excess of histamine or by acute stress reactions. As a result, chyme is transported through the digestive tract too quickly, so that too little water is absorbed from it. Here, the autonomic nervous system (the part we cannot consciously influence) contributes to a rapid "intestinal transit."

Diarrhea is also often accompanied by abdominal cramps, fatigue, headaches, low blood pressure, or nutrient deficiencies.

Tips against histamine-induced diarrhea

1. Avoid stress and thus lower the histamine level

The following can help you with this:

• Abdominal breathing
• Meditation
• Walking in nature
• Yoga
• Jacobson muscle relaxation

2. Eat pectin-rich foods, as these can thicken the chyme

• Apples
• Peaches and apricots
• Grapes
• Quinces
• Cherries

3. Eat rice porridge

• Boil rice with salt
• Rice porridge binds water in the gut and the salt replenishes your body with electrolytes that are increasingly excreted due to diarrhea.

4. Drink plenty of water and mild, well-tolerated teas

• Fennel
• Chamomile
• Rosemary

5. Avoid high-fat and heavily spiced foods

• These can make digestion more difficult

Constipation with histamine intolerance

Constipation is one of the most common symptoms of histamine intolerance and is nothing to be ashamed of – yet it should be treated immediately.

In contrast to diarrhea, constipation occurs when the chyme moves too slowly through the gut, which causes too much liquid to be absorbed from it.

It is important to keep an eye on factors such as bowel movements to address the cause of the histamine intolerance. In addition to elevated histamine levels, sluggish bowel movements can also have other causes, such as intestinal flora dysbiosis or intestinal inflammation.

Side effects of constipation can include exhaustion, fatigue, headaches, as well as intestinal cramps and a bloated stomach. If constipation persists for several days, you should definitely consult a doctor.

However, there are a few things you can try beforehand to resolve the constipation

Tips against histamine-induced constipation

Things you can pay attention to:

• High-fiber diet
• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Almonds & pistachios
• Flaxseeds
• Oatmeal
• Drink plenty of still water
• Take 1-2 tbsp of linseed oil daily
• Get enough exercise (walking, brisk walking, swimming, cycling)

Things you should definitely avoid:

• A lot of meat
• White rice
• White flour products
• Eggs
• Sitting all day

Would you like to incorporate your gut feeling more consciously into your daily routine? In our DarmFit set, we have combined three selected products: Bio BioticFit with eight bacterial strains, MucosaFit with selected vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients, as well as DaoFit with vegan DAO from pea sprouts.

This gives you three coordinated HistaFood products practically combined in one set – for your personal routine surrounding a low-histamine diet.

Sources

• Kubisch, C.H., Gross, M.M. Was beim Reizdarmsyndrom hilft. MMW - Fortschritte der Medizin 157, 46–48 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s15006-015-3353-2
• Gross, M. Guter Stuhlgang für Ihre Patienten. MMW - Fortschritte der Medizin 159, 44 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s15006-017-9337-7