Wines, champagne, cheeses, nut cakes and chocolate are just some of the foods that contain a lot of histamine. If our body can’t break it down properly, we can have a lot of different symptoms, one of them being flushing and warming up during meals. On the treatment of histamine intolerance dr. Gastroenterologist Krisztina Sárdiwe asked the doctor of the Allergy Center in Buda.
The complicated detection of the causes of facial flushing and overheating
Histamine intolerance can cause such a wide range of symptoms that those affected often go through several specialist appointments before their problem comes to light.
Flushing and warming with their climactic complaints – histamine intolerance painful, strong menstrual cramps can also cause it – they consult a gynecologist.
Ha nasal itching, nasal congestion, runny nose also applies, then to an otolaryngologist or an allergist.
Low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat because of this, they think of a cardiology problem.
A urticaria, with skin itching and regarding their accompanying symptoms, they ask for a dermatologist’s opinion.
A increased fatigue, dizziness, sleep disorders and headache and it may even have an internal medical, hormonal or neurological cause.
The fastest diagnosis can be made in connection with gastrointestinal symptoms
If the patients have flushing and warming heartburn, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, diarrhea or constipation appears, they are referred to a gastroenterologist within a short period of time. If the other symptoms also confirm the suspicion, the investigation can begin in the direction of histamine intolerance, excluding diseases that cause similar symptoms.
What causes blushing?
The symptoms of histamine intolerance are caused by reduced production and reduced activity of the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO), which breaks down histamine and is produced in the body. Its value can be determined by a blood test.
A decrease in the DAO enzyme can occur due to allergies, gluten sensitivity or contaminated small intestine syndrome, but it can also be caused by taking drugs that help release histamine or inhibit the function of the DAO enzyme (e.g. antibiotics, painkillers), or by consuming food and drinks.
Avoid these foods to prevent symptoms!
If the DAO enzyme value is low, you must go on a diet to eliminate the complaints. In such cases, foods with a high histamine content or that increase the release of histamine in the body should be avoided.
In addition to wine and champagne, certain cheeses, brewer’s yeast, shellfish, most fish, and canned fish should be avoided. In addition, tomatoes – especially canned, tomato paste, ketchup – spinach, chicken, pork, beef sausage and ham, especially dried products. All fermented vegetables and soy products, soy sauce, chocolate and sauerkraut. Some foods increase the body’s own histamine production, so it is not recommended to eat them in the diet. These include raw egg whites, shellfish, strawberries, tomatoes, fish, chocolate and pineapple.
In each case, the diet is personalized and depends on individual tolerance certain foods must be completely excluded or it is enough to reduce their consumption. If we still don’t want to give up certain foods, we can prevent the development of unpleasant complaints by occasionally taking a tablet containing the DAO enzyme before meals.
Source: Buda Allergy Center
Source: www.patikamagazin.hu
