Treat Histamine Intolerance

Once histamine intolerance has been diagnosed, it is important to treat the intolerance properly. In addition to a change in diet, supplemental intake of vitamin B6 and vitamin C or drug treatment may prove helpful.

Diagnosing histamine intolerance

To diagnose histamine intolerance with certainty, other conditions that cause similar symptoms must first be ruled out. These include food allergies and food intolerances, as well as inflammatory bowel disease.

A blood test can be used to determine the body’s histamine degradation capacity and to measure the histamine concentration in the blood. In affected individuals, the activity of the responsible enzymes is reduced to about half of the normal activity. In extreme cases, it can even drop to as low as ten percent.

In addition to a blood test, a change in diet can also provide indications as to whether histamine intolerance is present. For this, foods containing histamine must be strictly avoided for a certain period of time. If the symptoms improve and other food intolerances have already been ruled out, it is considered likely that histamine intolerance is indeed present.

Histamine intolerance treat: Food change in 3 steps

Step 1: To successfully treat histamine intolerance, avoid foods that contain particularly high levels of histamine for at least two weeks. Instead, fall back on foods such as potatoes or rice, in which there is only a little histamine. This measure will lower the histamine level in the blood. During this phase, make sure that your body is supplied with all important nutrients despite the restricted food selection.

Step 2: After this first phase of avoidance, sufferers should slowly and carefully test out which other foods they can tolerate. To do this, add new foods to your diet sporadically over the next four to eight weeks. Be careful not to overtax your body at the beginning: Do not try too many foods at once and consume the selected foods only in small quantities.

Step 3: Afterwards, closely observe how you react to the individual foods. If you wish, you can record in a food diary which foods you ate, how large the quantity was and whether or not any complaints occurred afterwards. You can also note accompanying circumstances such as stress in the diary.

Vitamin B6 and vitamin C in histamine intolerance.

Studies have shown that many sufferers have too low a level of vitamin B6 in their blood. Vitamin B6 acts as a coenzyme for diamine oxidase and thus promotes the breakdown of histamine. In some cases, the administration of high doses of vitamin B6 is therefore useful. However, the vitamin should only be administered if the level in the blood is actually too low.

Similar to vitamin B6, many people suffering from histamine intolerance also have too little vitamin C in their blood. Here, it is also suspected that the administration of vitamin C can break down histamine more quickly in the body.

Medications for histamine intolerance

In some situations – for example, when traveling – it is not possible to eat only those foods that one tolerates well. In addition, some patients continue to experience symptoms even after the change in diet. In such cases, the symptoms that occur can be treated with medication. Either antihistamines or enzyme replacement therapy can be considered.

Antihistamines ensure that the histamine can no longer exert its full effect in the body. They are particularly suitable when symptoms such as skin rashes, allergic rashes, headaches or dizziness occur. Alternatively, it is possible to supply the body with the required enzymes via capsules. This is particularly recommended before eating foods with a high histamine content, which one does not want to do without despite intolerance.

Unlike many other food intolerances, histamine intolerance can lead to life-threatening conditions. In such cases, the doctor will prescribe a fast-acting antihistamine.