Histamine is a biogenic amine produced and released by several cell types, including mast cells, basophils, platelets, histaminergic neurons, and enterochromaffin cells, following stimulation. When histamine accumulates in the gut, it can contribute to the symptoms of “histamine intolerance” such as digestive difficulties, dermatological reactions, flushing, redness, colitis, gastritis, headache, and tachycardia.
Below are the main mechanisms that induce intestinal histamine accumulation:
- Proliferation of intestinal bacteria capable of producing histamine (Klebsiella, Hafnia, Citrobacter, Serratia, Pseudomonas) or gram-negative bacteria that through the LPS membrane molecule cause strong mast cell activation
- Diet rich in foods that contain histamine or histamine-releasing foods such as coffee, chocolate, bananas, strawberries, kiwi, sausages, cheese, tomatoes, spinach, nuts, legumes
- Deficiency of DAO and HNMT, enzymes responsible for histamine degradation. DAO enzyme is produced in the small intestine; therefore, any damage or inflammation can reduce its production
- Presence of ‘leaky gut’ i.e., intestinal permeability, which exposes the immune system to increased stress against environmental and food allergens, toxins, bacterial components
One of the tests I often propose in these cases is the fecal histamine test
- Measures levels of histamine produced in the intestine reflecting an in situ mast cell activity and the state of intestinal inflammation
- It is noninvasive and can be easily repeated over time to monitor the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory therapy
- It can be combined with analysis of other relevant markers such as DAO and fecal HNMT and mast cell activation markers such as tryptase, chymase, fecal carboxypeptidase
Do you have symptoms of histamine intolerance and want to find out what tests are useful for you? Chat or email me at info@disbiosidoctor.com