Why a low-histamine diet concerns us all

This article explores why a low-histamine diet is not only essential for people with histamine intolerance, but can also be beneficial for conditions such as inflammatory diseases, allergies, or irritable bowel syndrome.

As nutrition experts who are personally affected by histamine intolerance, we deal with a low-histamine diet on a daily basis – not just in an enjoyable way, but above all in a scientific one.

Here is what we discovered during our research:

In the body, histamine acts as an inflammatory mediator, among other things, and is responsible for immune defense reactions. When a reaction occurs, histamine is released from so-called mast cells, which in turn can lead to further reactions or symptoms. A low-histamine diet can have a mast cell-stabilizing effect, which in turn can reduce the release of histamine from mast cells – and thereby, for example, reduce inflammatory processes and immune reactions.

Mast cell activation, histamine, and inflammation

Mast cells are found, among other places, in the skin or the gastrointestinal tract (*1) and are involved in defending against pathogens, neutralizing toxins, or triggering allergic reactions (*2). Upon activation, they release bioactive substances (histamine, enzymes, and heparin) as well as newly synthesized cytokines, chemokines, and lipid metabolites (*3). These mediators can be involved in various disease processes that go beyond an allergic reaction, for example, irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, inflammatory bowel diseases, and intestinal infections (*3,4).

But how can it get to this point?

If the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO), which is responsible for breaking down histamine, is not produced in sufficient quantities, it can lead to an increase in histamine levels – and potentially to histamine intolerance, chronic inflammation, or mast cell activation syndrome. High concentrations of histamine can trigger allergic symptoms such as hives, swelling, low blood pressure, breathing difficulties, or severe diarrhea.

A low-histamine or anti-inflammatory diet can have a supportive effect on all of these clinical pictures (*5):

• Allergies
• Migraines
• Asthma
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Gastrointestinal inflammation (e.g., irritable bowel or Crohn's disease)
• Skin diseases (e.g., acne or neurodermatitis)
• Osteoporosis
• Thyroid diseases
• Fibromyalgia
• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatism
• Ankylosing spondylitis

The low-histamine diet

The goal of histamine intolerance therapy should therefore always be, as a first step, the stabilization of mast cells and the support of the normal function of the DAO enzyme. Mast cell-stabilizing (low-histamine) foods include, for example, apples, watercress, or moringa.

Classic antihistamines also aim to stabilize mast cells and thereby reduce the symptoms of allergic or inflammatory diseases.

Would you like to easily integrate a low-histamine diet into your everyday life? With our HistaStarter set, you receive six selected organic foods that are suitable for a low-histamine diet – from savory basics to snacks for in-between meals.

This is how you can easily bring more variety and enjoyment into your daily low-histamine diet.

*Studies:

• Lorentz A, Sellge G, Bischoff SC. Isolation and characterization of human intestinal mast cells. Methods Mol Biol. 2015;1220:163-177. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-1568-2_11
• DeBruin EJ, Gold M, Lo BC, et al. Mast cells in human health and disease. Methods Mol Biol. 2015;1220:93-119. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-1568-2_7
• Zhang L, Song J, Hou X. Mast cells and irritable bowel syndrome: from the bench to the bedside. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2016;22(2):181-192. doi:10.5056/jnm15137
• Wilder-Smith CH, Drewes AM, Materna A, Olesen SS. Symptoms of mast cell activation syndrome in functional gastrointestinal disorders.
• Scand J Gastroenterol. 2019;54(11):1322-1325. doi:10.1080/00365521.2019.1686059
• Nahrung als Entzündungsmotor, Sabine Koch https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/a-0895-1956