Histamine Intolerance: Truth About Symptoms and Internet Myths

Why can't the body handle histamine?

Histamine is a substance that is commonly found in our body and in food. Under normal circumstances, the body breaks it down without problems using an enzyme called DAO (diamine oxidase).

The problem arises when this enzyme does not work sufficiently. This can happen:

1. due to genetics
2. due to certain medications
3. with problems with the intestines (e.g. inflammation, celiac disease or disturbed microbiome)

As a result, histamine accumulates in the body and starts to cause various problems.

How does histamine intolerance manifest itself?

Symptoms are very individual. They often combine and can change over time.

Most common digestive problems

1. bloating
2. feeling full after eating
3. diarrhea
4. abdominal pain
5. cramps or nausea

These problems are often confused with irritable bowel syndrome.

Other common symptoms

1. skin: itching, hives, facial redness
2. head: headaches or migraines
3. heart: palpitations or low blood pressure
4. breathing: stuffy nose or runny nose after eating
5. other: fatigue, poor sleep or painful menstruation

The most common myths from the Internet

"Just measure your DAO from your blood"

This is a very common mistake. The DAO value in the blood may not correspond at all to what is happening in the gut. Therefore, the test itself does not confirm or exclude the diagnosis.

"Tomatoes and chocolate are forbidden"

In fact, they contain much less histamine than, for example, fermented foods. They can be annoying for some, but usually they are not the main problem.

"I will have it my whole life"

In most cases, no. Often this is a temporary problem associated with the condition of the intestines. As the gut improves, histamine tolerance may also return.

“I have to eliminate gluten”

Gluten does not contain histamine. This myth was created by confusion with other food intolerances.

How is histamine intolerance detected?

There is no single reliable test.

The most important thing is:

1. watch how you react to food
2. try a low-histamine diet for a few weeks
3. observe if the problem improves and then returns

What to eat and what to avoid?

Histamine is mainly produced during ripening and fermentation of food.

Foods with higher content histamine

1. ripening cheeses
2. sausages
3. acidified and fermented foods
4. alcohol (mainly wine and beer)
5. You can find more unsuitable foods for histamine intolerance in our database.

Foods that usually don't bother

1. fresh meat
2. fresh vegetables (with exceptions such as tomatoes, spinach or eggplant)
3. basic, minimally processed foods

👉 General rule: the fresher the food, the less histamine

Conclusion

Histamine intolerance is not an allergy, but rather a problem with the breakdown of histamine.

The good news is that in most cases:

1. it is not permanent
2. it can be significantly improved by adjusting the diet and the state of the intestines

It is important not to succumb to extremes from the Internet and not to unnecessarily limit your diet more than necessary.

Resources

1. Comas-Basté et al., 2020 - an overview of histamine intolerance
2. Reese et al., 2017 - Recommended Practices
3. EFSA, 2011 - Histamine in foods
4. Fuchs, 2024 – overview for clinical practice