As we continue our discussion this month on the topic of allergies, we can’t overlook the critical element everyone needs to understand: histamines. The level of histamine activity within your body changes depending on your exposure to allergens.

What is Histamine?

Histamine is an essential part of the immune system, acting as a mediator to manage the inflammatory response. For example, histamine can affect vascular permeability, the widening of blood vessels, and even anaphylactic reactions when an allergic reaction happens. Additionally, histamines play a role in regulating the gut, spinal cord, brain, and more.

When you are exposed to a foreign microorganism, a response can produce specific immune cells (mast cells). This action affects how the white blood cells can engage with the foreign invaders. It’s essential to consider these reactions because histamine intolerance can be a cause of allergy symptoms for some people.

Food Allergies or Histamine Intolerance?

In a healthy person, the body can manage histamine responses by breaking down the histamine through diamine oxidase (DAO) – an enzyme that is present for this purpose. Usually, histamine is a good thing because it supports immune cells in traveling to an infection or injury site.

A portion of the population has histamine intolerance, which could be causing food sensitivities and other symptoms. If someone is histamine intolerant, then it means that they can’t metabolize this compound. The DAO enzymes are low, causing histamine to build up faster than the body can break it down.

If you are only looking at the allergy symptoms, then it might appear that you have an allergy or intolerance to certain ingredients. Actually, this sensitivity is occurring because of a histamine reaction. An allergy happens to a specific food or group (such as gluten or shellfish), while a wide range of foods can trigger a histamine intolerance.